Consequence
by YFate
Summary: Captured by Akatsuki, Ino's forced to pretend to cooperate with the criminal organization. Surrounded by nut jobs, how's a girl to keep her sanity? Much less her convictions…
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

_Summary: Captured by Akatsuki, Ino's forced to pretend to cooperate with the criminal organization. Surrounded by nut jobs, how's a girl to keep her sanity? Much less her convictions…_

**Consequence**

_A/N: This story came from the "What if…?" idea of Team 10's fight with Akatsuki. I should warn of spoilers for Shippuden and the manga, as well as Hidan's mouth, which is so fun to write, and rather deliberate ambiguity. =) _

_**Chapter One**_

"What's up with her?"

Holding her stomach, curling around the pain, Ino choked back sobs as the nausea rose, threatening to swamp over her determination. Someone negligently toed her in the shoulder. She curled into a tighter ball, trying to make herself disappear, and wished this nightmare would do the same.

"Don't worry about her."

"Fuck you, Kakuzu," the other said, crouching down beside her. She felt a hand gently feather through her hair, tighten its hold and harshly yank her head up by a hard grip on the base of her ponytail. She held back a yelp of pain, tears springing to her tightly closed eyes. The man laughed. "Pretty little bitch. Jashin-sama would love a taste of that. Some dessert after the main course."

The main course. _'Shikamaru...no, please, not him, too…'_

"Leave her be," the first monster said in a flat, disinterested voice. "You've already fed your stupid god for today."

"Aw, Kakuzu," the other whined, but let her drop. She heard the scrape and clang of him picking up his wicked, triple-bladed scythe. "You're no fucking fun."

"Shut up, Hidan." There was a grunt of pain.

"Ha! Looks like you're having a little trouble, Kakuzu. Hearts not settling in so well, eh?"

"I said, shut up. Ungh - " His breath hissed. It was nothing like the screams of agony Chouji and Kakashi-sensei had given when the monster known as Kakuzu ripped their beating hearts right out of their chests, stealing them for his own use.

"You look fucking half-dead." Hidan seemed to take amusement at his partner's expense.

"And you're covered in blood," the other grunted in exasperation.

"Oh, your concern touches me, Kakuzu. Truly. But none of it's mine." Hidan laughed and Ino trembled, forcing back the violent shaking by will alone. The tears rose inside her throat, and she clamped her lips shut on a scream. Damn them, she wouldn't let them hear it. The rage and pain and loss seethed through her, and her hands tightened into fists, which sent the agony running through her overstrained nerves again. This time, she couldn't fight the nausea that rose, and barely managed to turn her head so she wouldn't choke on her own vomit as she weakly retched into the dirt.

ooOOOoo

"Now, that's just fucking gross."

"Chakra poisoning," Kakuzu indifferently explained as he gingerly settled the black cloak over his rippling back with a wince. The raw wounds would take some time to heal, even with the two hearts he had taken to replace the two he had lost. "There's another team approaching - I can feel their chakra. Come on, let's go. Don't forget the girl."

"What? You're a stupid shit if you think I'm touching_ that."_ Hidan spat.

"Don't make me angry, you ungrateful bastard, or I just might forget how to reattach your stupid head the next time somebody decides to lop it off."

"Aw, Kakuzu, you don't have to be so mean." Hidan managed to put enough whiny sarcasm in his acidic taunt that it made the ugly missing-nin's eyes glow.

_"Fine,"_ Hidan huffed, "I'll go get the bitch."

ooOOOoo

His impatient mutters came closer, and Ino's brain screamed at her to _run!_ Swaying up on her hands, she tried to get up and sprawled over as the pain of overloaded nerves screamed through her body, leaving her shaking and dry-heaving as she curled back into a ball. The tears leaked out of her eyes even as she screamed at herself for the weakness of them.

_'Must...run...must...get away...damn it...oh, God...Chouji! Shikamaru! You damn Akatsuki bastards...first Asuma-sensei, now them...damn it, what do you want with me? Come on, Ino, get off your butt and _move!'

Gritting her teeth, she lurched up to her elbows and blindly started crawling, every nerve on fire. Spasms ripped across her body, contorting the muscles into rigid lines even as she forced them to obey her. _'Must…'_

"Heh! That won't get you very far, bitch." She felt a fist wrap around her trailing ponytail and she was jerked back on her knees. She shuddered at the handsome face leering down at her, his purple eyes lit with cruel amusement.

"P-Piss off," she spat, her eyes closing as he shook her violently.

"Now, now, girlie, that wasn't nice," the silver-haired man admonished.

"Stop wasting time playing games, Hidan!" Kakuzu growled.

"Fuck this," Hidan muttered. Ino felt something glance off her temple, like the sudden, sharp stab of a kunai digging right through her skull, and she wondered if this was death even as the indifferent darkness swamped over her.

ooOOOoo

The carnage lay all around them, testifying to a battle that had raged all over the place.

Sakura flinched at the look in Naruto's eyes. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder as he bowed his head, growling hoarsely, "We came too late."

"There's nothing you could have done." Yamato tried to comfort the grieving boy. His eyes were grim as he looked over the bloody field.

"But Kakashi-sensei - " Naruto impatiently ran the back of his hand across his eyes. "Damn it."

"Naruto…" Sakura pulled the boy into her arms, her pink head bending over the tousled gold as the tears ran down her cheeks. His arms crept around her waist, and they hugged each other tightly, entwined in the raw pain of their mutual loss.

Sai looked on, the lack of emotion in his black eyes haunting. He could not feel their grief, but knew his teammates were hurting, and wished he could do something for it. "Yamato-san?" he asked, troubled.

Yamato sighed, suddenly feeling the burden of his years. He was too much a jounin to let his grief get the better of him. At least - not yet. That would be for later, when he had privacy and the bodies of Team 10 were laid to rest with full funerary honors in the meadow of Konoha. He felt tired, and wondered how he could tell the Fifth Hokage.

Kakashi's loss would be felt keenly. The copy-ninja was one of the Leaf's best. And knowing Sakura and Naruto, they would want revenge against the Akatsuki pair that had taken their former teacher from them. He wondered if Tsunade would let them - the Hokage had not been happy when Shikamaru and the rest of Team 10 had insisted on going after Hidan and Kakuzu to avenge the death of their sensei, Sairiotobi Asuma. She'd reluctantly agreed when Kakashi had volunteered to lead the team, and now...now Yamato didn't know how the kage would react to the news that Team 10 had failed in their mission.

Eying the grieving pair who held each other so desperately, as if they were the only two left in a world devoid of all they had known, Yamato knew nothing good could come of this.

ooOOOoo

"I don't know why you had me drag this useless bitch all the way back here," Hidan complained as he dumped the unconscious blonde on the former Waterfall-nin's bed. "What possible use could you have for her?"

"Shut your blow-hole, you religious freak," Kakuzu growled, dropping to the other bed. "You know nothing."

"Hey! Get your bleeding ass off my bed!" Hidan protested. "You're getting dirt all over my sheets!"

"Getting along as usual, I see." The amusement in the mild voice made the Jashin-devotee stiffen. He glared at the emerging green plant as Zetsu coagulated up from the floor. The black half of Leader's little errand boy hissed, "Like oil and water."

"You are one creepy bastard, you know that, Zetsu?" Hidan scowled.

The plant-man only smiled, showing jagged teeth. His yellow eyes lit on the girl sprawled across Kakuzu's bed. "Ah! You brought me dinner?" He licked his lips, the white half of the strange carnivore's face smirking in delight. "How thoughtful!"

"Fuck you, Zetsu. The girl's mine," Hidan growled, quickly inserting himself between the drooling Grass-nin and the bed. Brandishing his scythe, the Jashinite grinned nastily. "I've already claimed her for my god."

"Neither of you bloodthirsty bastards can have her," Kakuzu snapped, his breath coming harsh as he doffed his cloak. Blood dripped from some of the threads crisscrossing his torso, and his green eyes glinted with malice. "We have a use for her, and Leader will soon agree."

"What possible use could we have for a weak ass leaflet?" Hidan demanded, the anger in his eyes at Jashin being denied his just due turning the purple depths stormy.

"You're an atavistic fool, Hidan," Kakuzu growled in disgust.

"He has a valid question," Zetsu pointed out. The white half of his split face smiled. "What use could we have for her? Her chakra's pathetic."

"She's drained." Kakuzu waved that aside as insignificant. "But if either of you selfish bastards would actually think past your own hunger-pangs, then you would see what benefit she could be to our organization." He scowled at the blank look on Hidan's face. "Your ADD is irritating, Hidan. Do you not remember? She's a medic-nin."

"So?" Hidan sneered. "You getting soft in your old age, Kakuzu? You need an assistant?"

"I may," the former Falls-nin grudgingly admitted. Planting a hand to his chest, he grimaced. "Getting used to these new hearts will take some time, and having a chakra-healer will certainly speed up the process. We don't have time to waste right now, if we are to carry out our prime objective."

"And what's that? Leader hasn't exactly been all that forthcoming." Hidan spat.

_"That's_ on a need-to-know basis," Zetsu said sharply, his other half taunting, "And you don't need to know."

"Fuck you - "

"Shut it, Hidan." Kakuzu growled.

"You think I'm going to let an overgrown weed like him talk to me like that?" Hidan shouted, brandishing his scythe. "Jashin-sama doesn't take kindly to his disciples being insulted!"

"Stow the Jashin shit, monk-boy." Kakuzu's green eyes heated. The wide shoulders twitched, and he grimaced again. "Besides, Leader will have other uses for this girl."

"Explain, Kakuzu," Zetsu ordered, adding, "And I will go and tell him, hmmm?"

"Fucking errand-boy," Hidan couldn't resist muttering as he carefully leaned his scythe against the wall. The other Akatsuki members ignored him.

"She is a Yamanaka. Inoichi's only daughter, if I remember the dossier right." Kakuzu's breath came harshly. He closed his eyes as he explained mildly, "Yamanaka Inoichi has a price of 10 million ryou on his head - "

"You and your fucking bounties. Dirty money-grubber," Hidan groused under his breath.

"The girl, like her father, has the Yamanaka kekkai genkai, which is mind jutsu. Telepathy."

"How pathetic. What use could that be to us?" Hidan demanded impatiently, crossing his arms and glaring at his erstwhile partner.

"You really are a thick-headed idiot," Kakuzu growled even as Zetsu nodded in understanding, his sharp teeth flashing in a grin.

"Ah. I see, now." His other half added, "We are seeking new recruits."

"We are?" Hidan blinked. Akatsuki had carefully kept their numbers at ten for as far as he knew.

"Leader wants to build an army," Zetsu explained. "It's just another part of our ultimate goal. That, and collecting the jinchuuriki." His white half couldn't resist adding maliciously, "You really don't know much, do you, Hidan?"

"Fuck you, dipshit," Hidan absently replied.

Closing his eyes, Kakuzu let out an impatient growl.

"And just how the fuck do you think you'll be able to recruit this stupid bitch to our cause, anyway?" Hidan demanded. "She'll hardly be willing to help those who just killed her entire team. Didn't think of that, did you, you dumb fucks?"

_"That _will not be our problem," Kakuzu answered even as Hidan laughed at the obvious flaw in the near-immortal's stupid idea.

"Ah." A smile flickered over Zetsu's lips, twisting up on one side as the black half of his split face added, "You'll want me to go fetch Itachi, then."

"That would be helpful," Kakuzu grunted as he eased his big frame down on the bed.

"What, you think one little leaflet's broken loyalty can sway another's?" Hidan rolled his eyes.

"Your head must have fallen too hard the last time it got chopped off, priest." Kakuzu didn't bother looking over to see how the Jashinite took that barb.

"Blow me, you bleeding bastard," Hidan snapped back. "And get your bloody ass off my bed!"

"Can't." Kakuzu closed his eyes, his breath quickly evening out into sleep. He even snored, the ass.

"I can't fucking believe this!" Hidan shouted to an uncaring audience. Zetsu had already dissolved into the floor, his mocking laughter fading as the trailing tips of the strange plant surrounding his head disappeared into the dusty stone. "Where the hell am I now supposed to sleep, damn it?"

ooOOOoo

Ino went from sleep to wakefulness with the mere opening of her eyes. She winced, for there was pain to greet her - a dull throb in the back of her skull steadily threading throughout the numb length of her body. It felt as if she had seared her skin all over, but mentally tracing the chakra paths, she could feel no damage. A second later, though, her nerves _burned_, as if tracing the chakra paths had ignited them.

_'Chakra overload,' _her mind supplied, her thoughts almost clinically detached from the pain screaming through her heavy limbs. _'When a ninja uses or is exposed to too much chakra all at once - '_

How?

Oh, yes - she'd been blasted with Kakashi's lightning jutsu, when Kakuzu's grip on her throat had tightened a second before the water exploded beneath them. Chouji - Chouji had been thrown clear, but she had been electrified by the blast, and her reflexive shield against it had been a shade too slow. The rest was a blur - Shikamaru interfering, the team separating - Shikamaru to draw Hidan away so that the rest of them could attack Kakuzu, who still had four hearts left. Though Shikamaru had managed to get Hidan to destroy one of those, with a vial of the ugly man's blood. She had stood by, all but useless as she tried to heal herself as Kakashi had taken on Kakuzu alone. She did not know what had happened to Shikamaru, what had gone wrong. But she had witnessed the bloody end of Kakashi and Chouji, who had deliberately placed himself in front of her, initiating his clan jutsu to defend her. It hadn't been enough to help him, in the end.

The end...oh, God...her closed eyes tightened as she forced back a cry of despair. That end was written all too clearly on her horrible memories. Disabling the two ninja, Kakuzu had ripped their living hearts out of their chests. The end had not been painless or quick, and when he absorbed them into his own body, his triumphant laughter had made her scream in denial. Throwing herself at him in mindless fury and sorrow, she'd only managed to sink a single kunai into his shoulder before he had struck her with a magnified elemental jutsu that left her broken and defeated on the ground at his feet.

That was when Hidan had returned and she knew that Shikamaru, too, was dead...

_'Ohgodohgodohgod. No, I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. First Asuma-sensei, now Shikamaru and Chouji and Kakashi-san. Damn those Akatsuki monsters…'_

Something tickled across her raw senses, and Ino's eyes opened. She stared, unbelieving, into blank eyes and black hair, too familiar for the time that had passed since last she'd seen them. "S-Sasuke?"

"No."

'_Such a cold voice.' _She shivered, her thoughts oddly mused as her eyes rove the drawn features. No, this was not Sasuke. But he had the same black eyes, the same features, if a little more drawn and weighted. The same dark hair, although his lay long and flat across his pale brow rather than in errant spikes tousled sexily across the arrogant, flawless features of a marble god. Hair as black as the sins written in blood across his accursed soul, for he had killed every single member of his family and clan except his younger brother before fleeing into the night as a missing-nin and S-class criminal. _'Uchiha Itachi.'_

Even as she watched, his eyes swirled, the crimson bleeding through as black eddies mixed together into a distinctive pattern. _'Sharingan.' _She kept staring, fearlessly. Her father had said that one of the rare gifts of their bloodline and unique telepathic jutsu was that they could not be taken in by the Sharingan genjutsu. She smiled, the small triumph bitter in all the empty sorrow inside her heart. Her voice failed; she had to swallow twice before her hoarse whisper came out defiantly, "Don…Don't waste your time. That w-won't work on me."

His lips twisted. It would have been a wry smile on anyone less cold and unaffected than he. The black tomoe in his red eyes continued to spin hypnotically. She defiantly kept her eyes on his, silently daring him to try that stupid trick on her.

"You would do better to listen to what I have to say, Yamanaka Ino."

She flinched. She didn't think he would know her birth-name. Although only five years older than Sasuke, who had been her classmate at the Ninja Academy, Itachi had already been an elite ANBU jounin. Jounin had little to do with the Academy, especially ANBU operatives. It was only after graduation and the students became genin that a jounin instructor was put in charge of each team.

Reminded abruptly of the loss of her own team, Ino felt the sorrow threaten to swamp over her. Tears sparkled in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Refused to show such weakness to such a cold-hearted bastard as Itachi, who was a part of the same criminal organization who had taken her teammates and her sensei from her.

"N-Nothing - " Her voice failed her again, damn it. She grit her teeth against the pain, and snarled it out. "Nothing you say will...will…"

"You are a foolish child." The scorn in his voice made her flinch, for there was no emotion there, just cold disgust. "You have no idea what you have stumbled into."

_'Not by choice!'_ she screamed silently. _'You think I _asked_ to be brought here, you heartless bastard?' _The question of _why_ burned inside her, for it made no sense.

He seemed to guess the direction of her thoughts, for he said flatly, "Akatsuki has a use for you, Ino, and if you want to survive, than it would be in your best interest to serve theirs and pretend, at least, to cooperate."

She showed her repugnance at the very idea. _'He's as crazy as I always thought! Who, other than a madman, could slaughter their entire clan just on a whim, and show no remorse for what they did, even taunting their poor baby brother with it?' _She mindlessly lashed out, hissing sharply, "S-Sasuke will kill you some day - "

"One hopes." He looked suddenly weary, and Ino's eyes widened in surprise at his strange words. He gave her a hard look, his red eyes narrowing as the swirling pattern accelerated. His cold, flat voice turned biting. "You have no clue, Ino, what intrigues you have stumbled into. I know I cannot sway you with the Sharingan, but the others do not. If you value your life, than you will let them think that I have succeeded in gaining both your loyalty and unquestioning obedience to Akatsuki."

"Wh-Why should you care?" she demanded, her breath hitching at the pain that flared through her body. A headache blossomed around her temples, and she felt like she was fighting her way through a thick syrup of dull thoughts.

A pale hand, nails painted dark purple so that they looked like blood-blackened claws to her blurring vision, briefly touched the slashed headband that kept his black hair back. The deep line gouged across the leaf-symbol of Konohagakure seemed stark against the metal. Her vision swam, focusing in and out, making Itachi's hand blur but the symbol of his rejection of their home village vivid. "You don't know everything, little Leaf."

The casual endearment caused a catch in her throat - it was commonly used by the adults of their village for the youngest children. His red eyes seemed to burn into hers as he let his hand fall. His voice was too casual as he suggested, "Why don't you go and ask your father? You have the Yamanaka telepathy - the distance is not so great if you truly know how to use your kekkai genkai."

Ino sucked in her breath. How could he know that? It was a family secret - one zealously guarded. But it would be known to a former ANBU captain like Uchiha Itachi. All the family talents were known to the captains, who had the authority to call upon them at need. Itachi had made captain at thirteen - an age when she had barely made chunin. The distracted thought made her head throb, and she tried to keep her mind focused even as her awareness started fading back into darkness.

"You cannot trust my words, Ino-chan, but you can his. Go and ask him, and you just might be surprised…"

ooOOOoo

Time passed. She wasn't sure how much, for she hovered between the pain of half-sleep and the dark oblivion of utter exhaustion. Her body healed, but slowly, and she hoarded every scrap of chakra that she could, stealing it from the healing of her body in order to build it up inside her mind. She was not as experienced as her father, and in order to reach out to him - even with the help of his own powerful telepathy to support her once she established the link - she had to use it all at once, in a sudden burst.

It was like drawing the string of a bow back as tight as you could, in order to release the arrow of her thought-sending as far as possible. Between bouts of empty darkness, where she strove with nightmares that faded even as she fought them, she kept drawing that bow back just a little bit further. When next she became aware enough to finally make use of it, she let the thought-arrow fly.

Speeding along in the empty nothingness of what she called the mental world, or mental genjutsu, she desperately sought some glimpse of another whose thoughts were as familiar to her as her own. She had felt the touch of her father's mind from her earliest memories. He had always been there to support and guide her, and oh God, she could really use that - could really use _him_ - right now.

_'Daddy!'_ she called, and suddenly, unbelievably, he was _there, _with her, his thoughts blazing across hers with all the warmth of his love. He held her tightly inside the shelter of his "arms" as she sobbed in relief against him.

_'Ino - Ino, we were so worried. Are you all right? We did not know what happened to you - '_

_'Daddy, oh God, Daddy...Shikamaru...Chouji...they're...they're…'_ She couldn't say it, couldn't bear to say it. She felt like such a failure.

_'We know. I'm so sorry, little bud.'_

She cried harder at the nickname, his nickname alone for her, his daughter. He had called her that when she was so young she couldn't even look over the counter of the family's flower shop. He'd teasingly tell her that one day she would bloom from a little bud into the most beautiful flower...

_'Oh, Daddy!' _She spent long moments that seemed all too brief sobbing in the curl of his thoughts, embracing his strength as she surrendered to her weakness. _'I'm sorry...I know true shinobi are not supposed to cry...that it reduces the memory of the fallen's heroic sacrifice...but...but they were my friends, Daddy, my teammates…'_

_'There is no one else to know, little bud, if you cry. You do not shame them with your tears.' _She hugged him tighter, wrapping her thoughts around his and just basking in the comfort and strength of his presence. His thoughts supported hers, and it wasn't such a drain on her energy to keep the mental link established.

She eventually lost her tears, and just dwelt quietly for a time in his comforting strength. Finally, she broke free enough to admit shamefully_, 'Daddy - Daddy, they took me with them. The Akatsuki. I could not fight them; I was too weak. I'm so sorry, Daddy.'_

_'That's all right, little bud. We know.'_

_'You do?'_ A jolt of surprise almost broke the link between them, and she hastily brought her wild thoughts back in line, a little ashamed that she could be so easily distracted.

_'Yes, we do. We have - an informant. On the inside.'_

She didn't lose the connection this time, but her astonishment bled through his mental barriers. He chuckled at her surprise, and then sent her a feeling of approval when she deduced in a wondering voice. _'Is it - Uchiha Itachi? But - '_

_'Yes, little bud. The Uchiha still has loyalty for Konoha, no matter if his actions speak otherwise.'_

_'But - why?'_ She couldn't believe it, even coming from her father.

_'Atonement, perhaps,' _Inoichi dismissed it as unimportant. _'But you can trust him, little bud. Implicitly. He has our - and thus, _your_ - best interests at heart. You should listen to him, do as he says. For Konoha needs you, little bud, to be strong, and stay - '_

_'Stay?' _Her mental shriek made him wince and almost broke the connection again. This time her father sent her a reproving thought, and chastened, Ino sent him a much quieter apology.

_'Your surprise is understandable, little bud, and under normal circumstances, I would not like to have you in such danger. But Konoha needs you right where you are, helping and serving the Akatsuki. Yes, our most deadly enemies. But we have not had a reliable way in which to keep in contact with the Uchiha, and we could use your unique abilities. As Akatsuki could. The Hokage agrees that this is too good an opportunity to let pass by…'_

_'But - '_

_'I know you don't like it, little bud, but I have to ask you to be strong right now. Remember what you are, a kunoichi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We are counting on you, Ino. We are counting on you to do whatever you have to in order to gain the Akatsuki''s trust. Cooperate with them, even if it seems like it goes against our best interests. Honor the sacrifices of your friends and teachers, and do this for Konoha. Help your enemies, and you help us. Remember that we are counting on you, little bud. We are _all_ counting on you…'_ His thoughts were slipping away, out of reach, and Ino desperately tried to hang on to a last glimpse of him, but he was suddenly gone, and she was alone.

Mentally hugging her arms tight around herself, she bowed her head and knew that she would do what she must. And then her awareness of the empty plane of the mental genjutsu was melting back into the darkness of true sleep, and she knew no more.

ooOOOoo

"Did it work?"

"For now." He looked even more drawn than usual.

"You look like shit."

He waved that off as negligible.

"They think her dead."

"It's best for now. They will know soon enough."

"They will think she betrayed them, turned traitor. They will not understand."

"They do not need to understand. This is the best way - the only way - for us right now."

"For now."

He looked troubled. The kage smiled, perhaps to reassure him. He wondered if it actually did.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

_Summary: Captured by Akatsuki, Ino's forced to pretend to cooperate with the criminal organization. Surrounded by nut jobs, how's a girl to keep her sanity? Much less her convictions…_

**Consequence**

_A/N: Another warning for Hidan's mouth, and thank you for the reviews. Really warms the soul. =)_

_**Chapter Two**_

"So you succeeded?" The eyes turned towards them were mesmerizing, as distinct in their silver pattern as the Sharingan could be. Set in the shadowed darkness of their meeting chamber, the eyes glowed like an empty phantom out of nightmare. Some said they were the eyes of God.

"Yes." Itachi met those psychedelic eyes without wavering.

His partner, the Mist-nin Kisame, smiled, showing the jagged, double-rowed teeth of a shark. "I hear she's quite a looker."

"She's delicious," the white side of Zetsu said almost wistfully, his darker half rebuking, "She's not for us; Leader has a use for her."

The way the two halves of the same man could carry on arguments with themselves was unnerving. Hidan twitched, his look disgusted. "By Jashin, you have one freaky split-personality, you damn weed."

"You're one to speak about being a freak, yeah," Deidara couldn't help baiting.

"Shut your hole, pretty-boy, or I might fucking reconsider who the next sacrifice to Jashin-sama will be!"

"Is that a threat, priest?" His reply was as soft as it was dangerous.

"Hidan, Deidara - enough." The voice was sharp, inflexible. The two antagonists subsided with mutual glares, Hidan's just a little more petulant than the creative terrorist's.

"I still don't see what fucking use we have for her. She's so weak it's pathetic," Hidan muttered sulkily.

"You don't need to know," Zetsu taunted, his darker half settling for a warning hiss as the Leader's brilliant eyes flicked their way. The leaf-shrouded man fell silent under that gaze, though he smiled, teeth flashing in the darkness. His butter-yellow eyes glowed beneath the muffling shadows of the leafy protrusions on either side of his bi-colored head.

"She lacks training," Leader advised, "but her kekkai genkai could prove very useful."

"Her genjutsu is similar in ways to my own," Itachi pointed out indifferently.

"Really?" Tobi ingeniously added. Itachi ignored him as Deidara favored his partner with the Glare of Death.

"Duly noted," Leader said. "And she will spend time training under you, Itachi, as she will spend time with Kakuzu."

"Where is that zombie?" Kisame suddenly realized the absence of the former Waterfall-nin.

"Still recovering," Leader replied even as Hidan snorted.

"His lazy ass is still in bed. _My_ bed, the fucker."

"It will take time for him to incorporate the two new hearts he gained from his fight with the leaf-nin into his body. He tells me the girl can help with that." Leader was surprisingly forthcoming.

"So we train her. Then what? Is she to take Orochimaru's place?" Kisame asked, wrinkling his blue forehead in the way others might raise their brows.

"No. She would not be ready for that for quite some time." Leader paused. "We must also assure ourselves of her complete devotion to our cause. I know the Sharingan's genjutsu can be quite persuasive, but only time will tell where her true loyalties lie."

"Oh, there are plenty of ways to persuade her, Leader-sama!" Tobi nodded vigorously to show his support. Deidara gave his masked partner a disgusted look as the brilliant eyes cut to them for a long moment.

"I myself will speak with her, of course, but she will bear close watching over the next few weeks, to ensure the true effectiveness of Itachi's jutsu. Not that I am questioning your abilities, Itachi-san."

Itachi only looked bored as Kisame's forehead wrinkled.

"And whose fucking responsibility will _that_ be?" Hidan demanded with a lavender glare as he folded his arms across his bare chest. "I know we caught her, but I don't want to be saddled with the bitch."

"Oh, yeah, you'd be a great choice, un." Deidara rolled his eyes.

Without looking at his partner, who would go along amicably with anything he wanted anyway, Itachi said slowly, "Perhaps it would be best if - "

But he was cut off as Tobi jumped forward, frantically waving his raised hand. "We can take care of her, Leader-sama! Tobi will take _good_ care of her!"

"What?" Deidara scowled. "You stupid idiot! Who says I want to be saddled with some dumb bitch, either, un?"

"Ow! Deidara-sempai! Aren't you supposed to be watching your arms? You're not healed yet - "

"Shut up, yeah!"

Kisame bumped his silent partner with a grin, whispering, "Gods, I love watching those two."

"Leader-sama, Tobi wants her. Tobi will be good for her. Promise!" The masked Akatsuki beseeched the shadow in their center as Deidara growled.

Surprisingly, Itachi spoke up, his eyes flat as black pebbles. "I don't think that would be such a good - "

"No, Tobi is right. Deidara needs time to heal from his injuries capturing the one-tail, and I have decided that it will be you - Itachi, Kisame - who will go after the four-tailed. You will not be here much over the next few weeks."

Deidara scowled even as Tobi danced around in delight, stopping to bow mockingly in front of the cold Uchiha. "Don't worry, Itachi-san! Tobi will take good care of her! Tobi will make it his _mission!"_

An unspoken look passed between the two, and surprisingly, it was Itachi who turned his eyes away first. Kisame scratched his head and shrugged, deciding it was unimportant, that Itachi probably didn't give a shit one way or the other.

"It's settled then." Leader's words pronounced the end of their impromptu meeting. He melted into the shadows, Zetsu joining him with a last grin as Hidan curled his lip in disdain, grousing, "Finally!"

ooOOOoo

"She looks like you, sempai!"

"Shut up, yeah."

"But she could be your little sister, Deidara-sempai! Don't you think she could be his little sister, Itachi-san?"

There was a muffled boom, a distinct yelp and a loud wail of protest, _"Sempai!"_

"I said, shut up, idiot, or next time I'll blow your head right off, hmm?"

"Was that really necessary?" That cold, unaffected voice she knew. _*Itachi.*_

"You aren't forced to put up with him, yeah."

"Tobi sorry, sempai! Tobi didn't mean to make you angry!"

"I said, shut up!"

"Tobi will be a good boy! Tobi promises to be a good boy!"

_*They're nuts!*_ She mentally shuddered, for these madmen were the ones responsible for such death and terror across the known world that every hidden village of the Allied Countries had a standing order that they were to be killed on sight. She desperately tried to remember just who they were in the Bingo Book, but individual names escaped her. Only Itachi's drawn face with the cold eyes so familiar in the Uchiha clan could be called up, and she sucked in her breath.

"Ah. You're awake."

"She's been awake for some time…" yet another voice pointed out with a giggle, a darker growl immediately adding, "...though pretending not to be."

Ino wasn't stupid. Caught in the act, she opened her eyes, pushing herself upright in the bed and reflexively scooting back until her shoulders bumped the unyielding stone wall behind her. Four pairs of eyes watched her with varying degrees of interest or the utter lack of it. The powerful chakra pouring off of each of them had her instinctively reaching for a weapons pouch that wasn't there. _*Of course. They would have disposed of that first.*_

The motion was foolish, too, for the role she was supposed to be playing. She let her hand drop, curling it into a tight fist hidden by the folds of the blanket. Her nails dug into her palm as she deliberately forced herself to relax, her eyes flicking from one face to the other, trying to gauge their mood and measure their motives.

Only two were dressed in the distinctive red-clouds-on-black cloaks of the Akatsuki, though there were two other cloaks thrown negligently over a chair and across the second bed. Itachi's cold face she knew - she tried to detect some hint of what her father had said, some flicker of reassurance. But he remained as stone-faced as ever, his black eyes even more cold and detached than she remembered. She hid a shiver, and turned her gaze to the others.

One watched her with a quirked brow, as if amused by her wide-eyed stare. He was stunningly handsome, with eyes and hair the same color as her own, though darker by several shades. This must be the Deidara one of the others had teased looked like her. His long hair was parted so that it covered half his face, the rest tied back with a hitake-te, some pulled up into a careless topknot. They might have had the same coloring and perhaps there was a similarity to how they parted their hair, but Ino frankly couldn't see that much resemblance between them. Dressed casually in a mesh shirt and faded grey-blue pants, there was something odd about his crossed arms, though she didn't let her gaze linger, lest he mistake her puzzlement for something more than it was.

Her eyes moved to the man standing behind him. He was slightly taller, and much thinner than the others. He was dressed in unrelieved black, except for the white cloth encasing his lower legs. His face was hidden by a strange mask that looked like a pumpkin, the swirling lines radiating from a single eyehole that was too dark to make out the eye it left uncovered. Short, unkempt black hair spiked around the mask in a style reminiscent of Kiba when he was younger. He leaned forward eagerly, as if friendly, but there was something about him that made Ino want to flinch away, for no reason other than her own unease.

It was the last of them who did make her flinch. She couldn't help it, for she had never seen anything like him. For one thing, only half of him was visible, the rest buried inside the ceiling. He hung upside down, like a dried flower, except the giant leaves that sprouted up above the high collar of his Akatsuki cloak looked more like the two halves of a Venus fly trap. They encased the strangest head - half black, half white, as if someone had taken two chess pieces and melded them into one. His eyes beneath a wild crop of green hair were butter-yellow, and glowed with amusement as she instinctively drew back, hugging her knees and staring at him with wide eyes. His lips parted in a malicious grin to show a mouth filled with jagged teeth.

"What are you?" she whispered, unable to stop herself.

He didn't answer, only winking once before turning to Itachi, "I'll go tell Leader that she's awake. He'll want to see her." Another voice eerily issued from the same black-and-white mouth, as if another mind lived inside the same body. "You might want to give her a bath. She's rather dirty."

Ino glared. She knew she was dirty; that damn weed didn't have to point it out. Her scalp itched, and she knew the stale smell coming from her was disgusting. She'd been in the same dirty clothes for who knew how long, and her hair was a greasy tangle hanging limp and heavy down her back. She shouldn't have cared so much, but she hated to be at any disadvantage around these weirdos.

"Stinky, too," the masked man unhelpfully added, and then laughed.

_*Jerk.*_

"Yamanaka Ino."

She stiffened, and unwillingly, her eyes were drawn back to Itachi. The Sharingan glowed bloodily at her, the swimming pattern inside the red depths almost mesmerizing. "Do you know why you are here?"

His question was stupid. But her father had said her village needed her here, in the last place she'd ever want to be, and that Itachi could be trusted. She couldn't, not really, but she was willing to play along. His question was simple, so must be her answer, but she had no idea what to say. So she asked hesitantly, "To serve?"

"To serve who?"

She almost said, "You," but that left a sour taste in her mouth, so she substituted, "The Akatsuki?"

"Hmmph." That was from the blond-haired man. He watched her intently, but not as intently as Itachi, whose red eyes bored into hers. "I think you went overboard, Itachi. You made her into a mindless idiot, yeah."

Her eyes snapped over to his, her brows coming down as she bristled. _*Mindless idiot?* _Who the heck did he think she was, anyway? Some stupid Akatsuki-slave? She would never, could never, be _that, _no matter what her father asked of her.

"Guess not, hmm." The man smirked at her, and she glared.

"Oooh! She's got your jutsu, sempai! That's one scary Glare of Death!" The masked man shivered theatrically. Ino lost her glare, confused by his strange actions. This must be the "Tobi" who got on the blond man's nerves and said such crazy things.

Itachi ignored them to order, "Come with me."

"Where?" she couldn't help asking, but he ignored her, too, the jerk. Turning his back, he went to the door. He finally stopped, turning to look back at her over his shoulder. His look was indifferent but there was something about it that had Ino finally slipping free of the bed, following reluctantly and trying to ignore the other two who watched her so avidly.

Itachi did not look back again. Leading her through the door, which opened on a long, stone hallway with wooden doors set at infrequent intervals, he finally stopped at the last one. "There are bathing facilities and supplies inside to clean yourself up. You will make yourself presentable, for our Leader would speak to you. You will show him that your true loyalty lies with Akatsuki."

She blinked. Was Itachi trying to warn her somehow? But his tone was so carelessly apathetic. But she had the sudden sense that her very life, let alone the game she was supposed to play, depended on how well she convinced this Leader-guy of her earnestness.

_*Oh God.*_ She suddenly felt faint - was she even up for acting out such a lie? She bit her lip, the self-doubt creeping in, but her hands tightened into fists as her natural stubbornness reasserted itself. She was a kunoichi of Konoha - and they needed her to do whatever she had to in order to keep this farce up. And she would, damn it. Her chin rose fractionally, and she squared her hunched shoulders.

Itachi did not acknowledge the slight movement, instead saying flatly, "I suggest you hurry. This is the only bathroom, and the others will not wait on you to finish."

With those cryptic words, he was gone - -literally, for he seemed to vanish right before her eyes. Ino looked around uneasily, and then shrugged. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door.

ooOOOoo

It was - and was not - what she expected. In some respects, it was like any other bathroom. There was a toilet, a sink, a shower and a tub. But what a tub! Sunk into the stone floor, it took advantage of a natural hot spring beneath the underground base. Steam wafted from the constantly moving surface, and Ino looked longingly at it, imagining what a good, long soak would do to ease the aches and pains away. But Itachi had told her to be quick, and she didn't fancy anyone barging in on her. There was no lock on the door, which was bad. The memory of how that freaky plant-guy could sink right through the ceiling was worse.

Glancing around, she spotted a threadbare towel and a couple of white robes hanging from hooks along the wall closest to the door and beside the sunken tub. Ino looked down at the various stains smeared across her purple top and grimaced. There was dried blood on it, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was more smeared across her arm and torso. She shuddered, and quickly stripped, dropping her dirty clothes right there on the floor.

Stepping into the shower, she fiddled with the knobs to find the right temperature, and spent a few seconds in pure bliss as the warm water beat across her head and shoulders. Coming to her senses, she reached for the scrap of soap and wrinkled her nose at the harsh lye in it. One would think a band of S-class criminals like the Akatsuki could afford better products. Why, the shampoo was horrible, and the conditioner - it was so thin she had to use most of it just to keep the tangles from snarling in her hair. She suddenly missed the comforts of home, where she had her own floral-scented supplies, and a furry blue bathrobe with the cute yellow ducky on the back.

God, she was pathetic to be thinking about such stupid things right now, but...she _was,_ and suddenly it was too much. All of it. The strange, cruel madmen she'd encountered since Asuma-sensei's horrible death, the lie she was supposed to convince some Akatsuki bigwig, the responsibility she had of maintaining some crazy allegiance to a band she despised and who frightened her so damn much she wanted to curl into a ball and disappear right through the floor. She knew she was supposed to be strong - her father believed in her, the Hokage believed in her, the whole village was counting on her. Shikamaru - Chouji - her sensei, Asuma and Kakashi - she could not let their deaths be in vain. But oh, god, she missed them, she missed them _so much, _and the tears were coming now, too many to stop, and she felt such a wave of homesickness and so out of her depth and such panic and fear that she could only stand there, holding herself as she trembled violently, the water thundering down all around her.

She let herself dwell in it, unable to stop herself, for only a few minutes. The sobs came, hoarse and low, as she tried to keep them muffled, and her anger that she had to keep so damn quiet about it actually helped her to get past it. Gritting her teeth, she angrily wiped the tears away, and violently wrenched the knob so that the spray shut off. She listened to the dull splats of the water still dripping from the spout and breathed in and out, carefully slowing her racing heart and composing herself for what she knew she had to do.

Pushing the shower curtain back, she stuck one foot out, looked up into a pumpkin, and shrieked.

ooOOOoo

Deidara almost fell over his chair trying to get out the door. Cursing under his breath, he kicked it out of his way as he slammed the door open onto chaos. The hall was suddenly crowded with Akatsuki ready for battle, and he had to duck before that stupid Jashinite cut him with his damn scythe, which he was foolishly waving around demanding to know just what the fuck was going on. The blood-curdling scream had come from the end of the hall, but Kisame's bulk was blocking the way. One blue hand was gripping the hilt of his huge Samheda, ready to draw it forth, but he was tall enough to see over everyone, and suddenly laughed.

"Tobi sorry! Tobi so very sorry!"

Eyes widening, Deidara felt like banging his head against the wall. Repeatedly. What had that stupid idiot done now?

"Yeah, I'm sure you're not _that_ sorry." Kisame wasn't helping, damn it.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me! All this shit's on account of _her?"_

Elbowing his way forward with an exasperated sigh, Deidara finally squeezed past a half-grown Zetsu sticking out of the wall and Kisame's blue bulk. His right eye widened, and he bit back a laugh. By God, he had to get a picture of this. Pushing his hair back, he exposed the camera-scope covering his left eye and took a good picture of Tobi cowering beneath one thoroughly pissed off kunoichi. She was brandishing a shampoo bottle, of all things, and wore nothing but a skimpy towel, wet white-blonde hair tumbling all over her back and shoulders. Kakuzu wouldn't let them buy anything so frivolous as decent linens, and for the first time ever, Deidara felt like thanking the cheap ass for his miserly foresight. Dirty and disheveled, the girl was pretty, clean and disheveled, she was _stunning._

They sure knew how to grow them in the Leaf Village. And he wasn't the only one who'd noticed. The hall grew suddenly quiet - except for Tobi's continuous "sorry's!" and her yells of "Jerk!" as she soundly thwacked him on the shoulder with the shampoo bottle. No one laughed, and the short blonde finally noticed her audience. Glancing around, her light blue eyes widened. She almost dropped her towel in her surprise, and he wasn't the only one who sighed with regret when she caught it again so quick, tightening it as close as she could around her ample chest. She whirled, giving a glimpse of the creamy skin of her sweet ass through a nicely placed tear in the worn-out towel before the door slammed shut behind her.

"That," Kisame pronounced, "made it all worth it. Come on, Tobi." Reaching down, the big shark-nin hauled the hapless man up, patting him on the head with a fond grin. "I knew having you around would brighten this gloomy place up!"

_"You _might like being dragged out of bed by some girl screaming her damn head off, but Jashin-sama does not take kindly to - "

"Oh, stow it, priest, and go handle that woody before Jashin-sama takes offense to _that."_ Kisame leered good-naturedly.

Turning red with rage or embarrassment, Hidan abruptly turned and slammed his own door shut.

"Hope Kakuzu's asleep or he might have to sew Hidan back up again after he tears him apart." Kisame was on a roll. Itachi gave his partner a cool glance, one that instantly quelled the mischievous twinkle in the shark-nin's grey eyes.

Deidara smirked, and then realized that he might just have to go and take care of his own little - well, not so little - problem. Shifting uncomfortably, he frowned even as he slammed the door shut to their shared room in Tobi's face. The troublemaker would just have to wait a few damn minutes…

ooOOOoo

There was a polite knock. Jaw tightening, Ino ignored it. Gripping the sides of the sink, she stared into the mirror with a dark look. Let them wait. She needed a minute to regain her composure. Damn them, anyway!

The knock returned, slightly firmer.

"Hold your horses, damn it!" Ino bellowed. The rage boiling up inside of her felt good, strong, and cleansing. Outrage was better than humiliation, and annoyance was far better than the despairing fear of earlier. Her eyes snapped over and she turned, ready to throw the stupid shampoo as the door creaked open. "I said, hold your - oh."

The woman who stood in the doorway said nothing, her face as beautiful in its marble remoteness as an Uchiha's. Her short hair was a remarkable blue color, and set off by an intricate paper flower. The Akatsuki cloak hid what clothing she wore, but her ninja sandals had wooden heels, much like those Tsunade and Shizune favored. Ino continued to stare as the woman calmly closed the door.

"Who are you?" Ino blurted, unsettled by the woman's eerie calm.

"I am Konan," she said, her voice as soft and remote as her perfect features and cool gaze. Her amber eyes drifted over Ino's borrowed yukata and wet, tangled hair. Ino flushed, hating the woman for catching her at such a disadvantage, but the woman said nothing, only pulling a simple wooden comb from her pocket and holding it out.

"Uh - thanks." Ino took the comb gingerly. She felt entirely too unsettled, having the woman watch as she freed the tangles from her hair, so tried to make conversation. "So...you're part of Akatsuki?"

Konan only looked at her.

Ino winced as a particular snarl caught the comb. _*Gods, she's spooky. There must be a rule somewhere that you gotta be weird to join this group. Ow!*_

She made a face in the mirror as she tugged the last tangle free from the end of her hair. She needed to tie her hair back, at least, or it would just tangle again as it dried. Not seeing any handy hair-ties, she had to filch a belt from one of the other robes still hanging on the wall. She'd sell her soul right now for a hair dryer or a just a simple barrette. Tying the wet length low on her neck instead of in her normally high ponytail, Ino pushed the long wisps that curled around her cheeks back behind her ears. They immediately slipped free and she sighed. Well, this was good as it was going to get, without decent clothes or better products. With a fatalistic shrug, she turned away from the mirror. The evil things always added ten pounds anyway.

"Thanks for the comb." She extended it to the creepy woman, who only looked at her.

"Keep it."

"Er...thank you." Ino didn't know what else to say, and they stood there awkwardly for a long moment.

Finally, the statue came to life long enough to say, "Come," and led the way out of the bathroom. The hallway was eerily deserted, and it felt unreal to be traveling behind the woman as it circled past even more closed doors that led who knew where. Ino noted with a sour look that Konan had that type of gliding, graceful walk that made it look like she was floating. Peevishly sauntering in her wake, Ino felt every inch the ugly waif in her too-long white robe and messy hair. Being barefoot did not help, as Konan's heels gave her that many more inches to tower over her, and the woman was already a good three inches taller. _*Ugh. Next to her, I look like something dragged in off the street.*_

Well, she had been dragged, and not by her choice. But she better start coming up with a plan, for she had a suspicion this woman was taking her to the Akatsuki's Leader. If the other members of this cracked-in-the-head organization were anything to go by, she better keep her wits about her. She wasn't surprised when Konan stopped before a last door, marked with a sigil, surprisingly, meaning "Peace."

_*These people really _are _crazy!*_

"Nagato has been waiting for you," Konan said, gesturing Ino to precede her. Ino gingerly stepped past the beautiful woman, who held the door open.

Not knowing what to expect, Ino didn't expect such total darkness, like being dropped inside a pocket. She didn't like it, and inched to the right as Konan silently followed her inside, closing the door softly behind them. Ino's eyes darted around, looking for anything and everything, and she felt the small hairs rising on the back of her neck as she forcefully tried to calm her beating heart and pace her quickening breaths. There was a discernable presence here, one that she could not place. It felt oddly indistinct, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Instinctually tracing the chakra paths, she could feel the quiet power of Konan behind her - as completely self-contained as the woman was herself, if still an unbelievable level of control.

There was another distinctive aura, somewhere in the center of the room, and it was even more powerful. Ino was getting rather tired of that. These people left Sakura, who was one of the strongest ninja she knew, in the dust, let alone _her_. She shivered, and crossed her arms to dig her nails into her upper arms, forcing herself to remain calm. She couldn't let any of her uneasy fear show. She was better than that, damn it.

"You're young."

Blinking in disorientation, Ino sucked in her breath. A pair of eyes now stared at her out of the darkness. Silver and blue-on-silver, they were somehow ringed, like some strange hypnotist's medallion. They exuded a soft, silvery-gray light that somehow pushed back the shadows. She could feel the light on her face, and knew that he had brightened it so that he could see her. She could make out an outline now, a shadow on shadow, spiky on top and muffled below in the familiar high-collared obscurity of an Akatsuki cloak. She couldn't sense a direct presence, though. There was no one really there; it was a hologram.

And yet his power still came through, so that if this was just a shadow of his true self, then his real control over chakra was so vast that it made all she had learned in the past two years studying under Tsunade and her father rather pitiful. And she knew real fear. Fear that was making her clammy with sweat and still icy-cold so that she wanted to shiver. She gripped her arms tighter, ignoring the goose-bumps that prickled across her skin, and fought the overwhelming urge to run away. Because while those eyes made her very, very scared, right to the point where she wanted to run away and hide, she was still Yamanaka Ino, damn it, and she wouldn't ever give up or give in to anyone. Even herself.

So she stood her ground, her chin rising, and she met those eyes defiantly. And suddenly, the crushing, ominous weight of fear was gone, and the eyes lost a bit of their brilliancy. They even seemed to warm slightly, and Ino had to blink, taken aback by the thought.

"But you are not weak." He seemed satisfied by that, and Ino said nothing, uncertain what she _could_ say. Her initial reaction, to demand who this jerk thought he was, didn't seem properly subservient. But she couldn't really _be_ subservient, it just wasn't in her nature. But she was supposed to pretend she was completely under Itachi's influence, enforcing her obedience and loyalty to the Akatsuki, and so she couldn't exactly start making irritated demands.

He stared at her for a time, and then said, sharp as a thrown kunai, "Your team is dead."

Ino couldn't hold back a flinch as her eyes grew wet. _*Damn you.*_ She refused to let the tears fall, and tightened her jaw, cursing the fact that she had probably just killed any chance of pretending to be under Itachi's jutsu with the involuntary reaction.

But Eyeballs seemed to be even more satisfied by her reaction. There was relish in his voice as he said, "You know pain."

He was as nuts as any of them, the sadistic 's eyes flashed.

"That is good. You may come to understand our true purpose in time. Only with pain can one come to true enlightenment. For now, though, I must take some precautions - " He paused, and then unexpectedly snapped, "What is your true desire?"

She suddenly seemed caught up in some type of jutsu, even though she could not sense anything. But her throat closed, and breathing became difficult, light, shallow. Lights went off inside her head, and Ino struggled futilely against the invisible grip around her throat. She opened her mouth, trying to suck in more air, but words were suddenly pouring out, as if he were somehow plucking them right from her mind. Ino froze, fear icing down her soul, and she started struggling more, but could do nothing. It was as if she were caught in her own Shintenshen no jutsu. She heard herself say, in a hoarse whisper of her own voice, "Never to lose - to anyone."

Sakura's face flashed before her eyes, and she winced. Damn it. For too long, Sakura had been the yardstick she had measured herself against, and in the last few years, the distance between them had grown greater and greater. The words of her mentor at his death came back to haunt her, and she found them drawn forth from her unwilling lips, her whisper even more low and rough than before. "To be strong - in ninjutsu and in love."

"Love." The voice mused over the word, and Ino abruptly felt the grip of his power loosen from around her throat. She fell to her knees, gasping greedily for air. She closed her eyes at the humiliation of having her deepest longings pulled out for him to toy with. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides and she glared up at him. But he wasn't even looking at her, but somewhere over her shoulder. She felt Konan draw closer, and glancing back at her, Ino was surprised to see the slight softening in the woman's amber eyes.

_*She...she loves him.*_ Ino couldn't believe it, but she knew love when she saw it. Although someone else might not be able to detect it - for Konan really was good at hiding her emotions, the old stone-face - Ino had an uncanny perception where true love was concerned, having longed for it herself for so long. And if this wasn't it, than she didn't know what was.

It was weird to see such a tender emotion in such acknowledged, ruthless killers as the Akatsuki, and it left her feeling even more unsettled. Her distraction cost her, for those weird, silver eyes were back on her, pinning her with the simple force of their compelling personality. "We may have just what you seek, Yamanaka Ino. What wouldn't you do to become stronger? What if I could promise that you could, with hard work and our help, of course."

"Wh-Why would you...help me?" For some reason, her tongue felt thick in her head, and it was hard to get the words out. Her eyes bore into his, trying to pull the reason from him as he had her.

There was a smile in his voice, almost a kindness, as if he were some fatherly figure and she still a young child that he would indulge for now because it amused him to do so. "You have a unique kekkai genkai, one that could be brought to its full potential if given the proper training. You also have lesser talents that we could put to use now, but I will let Konan explain that to you."

It was clearly a dismissal, for the glowing silver eyes grew dim. Jumping to her feet, Ino protested, "Wait - " She had a million questions, for he hadn't answered anything really, and neither had she. But he was gone, and Konan was already opening the door, letting in a bit of the orange glow from the hallway to pierce the stygian darkness of the room.

"But…" Ino was disgruntled by the abrupt dismissal. Konan didn't say anything, only giving her one of those serene looks that said all too well that she was wasting her time. Frowning, Ino finally left, casting a last, troubled glance behind her.

ooOOOoo

"You seem quite certain of her obedience," the dark shadow beside him said, amused by his subordinate's assurance.

"I have no need to question her loyalty," Pein replied. "Only her motivation."

"You put too much trust in Itachi's genjutsu," he cautioned.

_"You, _of all people, question the persuasive strength of the Sharingan?" Pein seemed amused by that.

Madera smiled, a red gleam glinting through the mask that concealed his features. "It is a dangerous game you play, Leader-sama. She believes the Sharingan has no power over her, that her family's kekkai genkai neutralizes it."

"She also believed Itachi was her father," Pein answered. "Caught in his genjutsu, she thinks she reached out to Inoichi and that he told her to pretend a loyalty to Akatsuki she does not have."

"Yet," Madera answered softly. "A loyalty that she does not have - yet."

"You think you can manipulate her so easily?"

"There is a little bit of darkness in everyone." Madera shrugged. "And I will be there to re-enforce the genjutsu's influence, of course."

"Why do you take such an interest in her?" Pein asked, curious, for it was not normal for the true leader of Akatsuki to care all that much.

"Why, because_ you _have taken such an interest in her, Nagato," Madara answered laconically.

"At first, I thought she would be a very useful tool. But not one I could turn into a mindless slave, as that would defeat the purpose of her telepathic genjutsu. Now that I understand what truly motivates her, I feel that she might prove a most valuable ally, if we are careful. Her loyalty to Konoha is strong."

"Ah. Now I understand why you questioned her as you did." Madara smiled. "And using her own loyalty to her village to manipulate her to our advantage - I would not credit you with such clever duplicity, Nagato."

Pein shrugged. "It is useful, for now. It will give us the chance to turn her to true enlightenment and the righteousness of our cause."

"She has potential," Madara admitted. "Without the hindrance of the Leaf's restrictive morality, there is the possibility that she could actually make real use of that potential."

"It is enough for now that we wait and watch to see how she does. If she is not strong enough to survive the early training, than it was not meant for her to come to our true purpose."

Madara only smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**Consequence**

_A/N: This chapter has been sitting in my "edit" pile for a while. This seemed a perfect day to finally get off my sassy and post. Thanks for all the reviews, they kept reminding me to getter-done! =)_

_**Chapter Three**_

"You have not yet earned our trust."

Ino started, surprised that Miss Stiff-and-Gloomy had actually spoken to her. She looked around, wondering if there was someone else with them. But Konan did not look back, just kept on walking - floating - down that eerie hallway with all the closed doors.

"Ah…" She didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't as if that Nagato-Leader-guy had even asked her any of the questions she'd been expecting. She certainly hadn't pledged her undying loyalty and support to the crazy organization. Hell, she didn't even know what they were exactly _doing_. Besides killing their families, anyone who got in their way, and taking an uncommon interest in Naruto, of course.

Getting rich, probably, since they seemed to snap up any missions the hidden villages turned their noses up at. If there was a hint of illicit activity, than the Akatsuki were most likely involved. Ino really had no true idea, though, beyond wild speculations of demonic worship, mass destruction, and dabbling in the dark arts of forbidden jutsu, turning themselves into monstrous forms through crazy body modifications.

"I explain this so you will understand why we do not give you your own quarters." Konan stopped and gave Ino a long look, as if trying to convey some warning Ino didn't get. The serene face showed nothing as she lightly added, "You will be watched, your actions weighed. Much will be expected, and if you do not strive to do your utmost while training, then your instructors will not hesitate to kill you. Understand that your position is precarious, and you have only yourself to blame if you should fail."

Ino froze. There was no malice in the woman's voice, only the calm stating of facts. The point was driven sharply home that no one would show her mercy. Not that they had ever shown any - not to her teachers, nor to her team.

Konan watched her, and seemed satisfied that Ino understood the enormity of her situation. She added, as cool as before, "Disobedience will get you killed. So will failure. Is that understood?"

Ino nodded weakly. This wasn't a game, and the stakes were now twice as high. She suddenly quailed at what her father and the Hokage were asking her to do. Was she even up for it? But the memory of Asuma-sensei's last words came back to her,_ "Be strong, and never lose to Sakura - in love or ninjutsu,"_ and determination welled up inside her. She wasn't some weak, wilting little flower. She was Yamanaka Ino, of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and she wasn't about to lose to anyone. Especially _them. _

Her chin rose. "I understand. I will not fail."

Konan actually smiled. It was a slight movement of her lips, a lessening of the remoteness in her amber gaze to allow a momentary warmth. But Ino caught a glimpse of the kind compassion the woman might have been capable of, if her life had not played out as it had. The warmth was gone almost as quickly as it'd appeared, but Ino felt strangely comforted by the fleeting revelation of true emotions from the silent woman. And then immediately craven for needing that reassurance. She had to keep this in perspective - these were dangerous, S-class criminals she was dealing with, not human beings with real hearts and thoughts and motivations. These people were the _enemy_, and it would be deadly-dangerous not to remember that!

A fact brought sharply home to her as Konan knocked on the nearest door and a grunt bid them enter. Ino stared at the despicable killer who rose to a sitting position as they came in. Her hands convulsively curled into fists, thankfully hidden by the draping sleeves of her white kimono, as she stared at the man responsible for Kakashi's and Chouji's horrible murders.

No, not a man, but a monster who took the hearts of his living victims to make himself all but immortal. Bare of headdress and cloak, his dusky skin held a sickly, grayish pallor. Ino had the sudden hope that his latest victims' hearts were proving more trouble than they were worth. But as that had been pretty much his color when Team 10 fought him, that hope was probably in vain. Black threads crisscrossed his body, like some bad repair job on torn clothing, or a scarecrow someone would be better to throw out than use for another season. He had certainly never taken a Home Ec course. Ugh!

His hair was surprisingly long and luxuriant. A rich brown, it hung past his wide shoulders and covered up the hideous deformity of his back. Ino wondered with a mental shudder if two new masks had formed when he's absorbed Kakashi's and Chouji's hearts into his disgusting body. His strange eyes started to glow, as if he could read her thoughts, and she quickly blanked her mind, seizing on the distraction of just how _ghoulish_ he looked.

Those light green eyes swam amid a dull red pool of dried blood, the ruptured result of shattered blood vessels in each sclera. The pupil-less center was such a soft color, a warm spring-green that just looked so disturbingly _weird_ in such a hideously scarred face. There was no emotion there, just a ghostly gleam of cold intelligence, like a snake. She was repulsed by his calm measure of her. When he smiled, tugging the threads going from the corners of his mouth and up along his cheeks to disappear beneath the ragged fall of his brown hair, she shivered.

"You are afraid. Good."

Konan gave her a brief glance. "This is Kakuzu. He will further your education in medical ninjutsu, and you will assist him in whatever way he needs."

"Come here." His voice was deep, a bear's growl. Ino swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She went, though, because she wasn't about to give in to fear.

"Trace the paths of your chakra."

Ino blinked, surprised by the order. It was the simplest of the techniques used by any medic-nin. She had learned to feel her chakra as a student at the Ninja Academy, but seeing them was a whole other ballgame, and required intense concentration. Once mastered, though, it was easy. Closing her eyes, she drew her hands up in the common gesture that helped focus her energy. In a moment, she felt the circulatory flows that drew the chakra from one organ to another. She added a touch of power, so that the chakra would glow through her skin, demonstrating that she had done as ordered.

"You have perfect elemental balance." Kakuzu seemed surprised by that. Ino shrugged, letting her summoning go. She had known that from her earliest tests at the Academy. Usually, a person showed an affinity for one element over the other - lightning, perhaps, or earth. Most in Konoha, which resided in the Land of Fire, had an affinity to the fire element. Sometimes, a person's balance tilted toward two elements, and they could easily use and combine them to make or master a new, lesser elemental jutsu. Like combining wind and water to easily use deadly hurricane-based attacks.

Ino, like her father, had no particular leaning. She had a perfect balance between each. In some cases, this led to an incredible mastery of all elemental jutsu, but in most, like with her, it just meant she had no innate gifts to draw on to use for attacks. Inoichi was proud of his clan's traits - as it somehow helped their mental concentration and telepathic jutsu in a way that was beyond Ino. Ino had always seen it as a liability, as it did not help her to learn fighting techniques. One she had come to accept, though, over the years.

"But no ability to master all of them." Kakuzu seemed disgusted. Ino barely managed to snap back at him that it wasn't _her_ fault. But this monster must have had that talent, since he manipulated the multiple elemental chakra his five hearts gave him. She was surprised that the creepy scarecrow had managed to both see and understand her balance and its limitations. It showed a high level of chakra control. Only Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, had been able to "see" the problems with her perfect elemental balance. Ino's earliest teachers, and even Asuma-sensei, had had to give her several tests before determining she didn't have what most ninja had as a matter of course.

"This is a weakness I will have to consider." Ino's brow twitched at that comment, and Kakuzu's ghoulish eyes seemed to brighten.

"That makes you angry."

Heck, yes, it did! Ino hated being called weak, especially by someone's whose mastery of seishitsu ninjutsu made her inability to ever learn it all the more humiliating, because there was nothing she could _do_ to prove them wrong.

"Good."

What a smug jerk.

"Anger is an useful emotion. You will learn."

Ino kept her waspish reply back by grinding her teeth together. She didn't think snapping at anyone came under the terms of "acceptable" subservient behavior. She settled for glaring. That couldn't be considered too disloyal, could it? Besides, she couldn't just stop being herself, no matter how much it might get her into trouble.

Kakuzu seemed amused by her anger. What an odious monster, both inside and out. Ino couldn't stand him, and not only for the memory of how viciously he had killed her teammates. He scared the hell out of her, and she loathed him for that, too. He had an ominous aura of power about him, one that was such a casual part of him that even sitting up on a bed, obviously in some pain, he could probably kill her right where she stood.

Shifting forward slightly, Kakuzu grunted. He stared down at his hand, flexing it into a fist before letting it relax. He suddenly looked back up, pinning her with a hard look. "Your chakra control is minimal, but sufficient for now to help me."

_'What?'_

"You will use the Mystical Palm Technique to ease the flow of blood to my main heart, reattaching the strained nerves and syncing my circulatory system to the new organ."

_'Oh my god. Ew! I am _so_ not touching that creepy jerk!'_

"Do not even try to use the Technique to cause me harm. I will know immediately what you do, and I will not hesitate - "

Ino choked. Her hands flew up to grab at his, which was suddenly wrapped around her throat. Kakuzu casually lifted her a good foot or two off the ground, so that her legs dangled uselessly. The thick, fiber-like threads that allowed him to extend any part of his body to unbelievable distances gleamed wetly between the severed wrist, which still rested against his bent knee, and the big hand that slowly tightened around her throat to show the threat he did not bother to finish.

"Just so we understand each other." Kakuzu grinned, showing perfect teeth, and abruptly let go. Ino fell in a heap at his feet, her hands convulsively covering her throat as she coughed, trying to recover the air she had lost. She stared up at the evil monster, her blue eyes wide.

_"Now,_ princess," he ordered, pale green eyes malicious in their sea of congealed blood. "I suggest you don't ever test my patience. It's short."

Silently, Ino got to her feet. She kept her face expressionless, hoping he would not see the cold fear inside her. Closing her eyes, she brought her hands up in the summoning jutsu. They shook. _'Damn it.'_ She concentrated, and the shaking stopped. She formed the seals, and her palms lit with the tingly warmth of healing chakra. Opening her eyes, she felt herself grow apart, her concentration so total that both the outside world and her own internal turmoil retreated. Slipping quickly into the clinical detachment needed for both medical and mental ninjutsu, this was one area where her perfect elemental balance helped her, for she didn't have to worry about bringing that into alignment as well.

Detached from emotion, Ino could focus on the incredibly intricacy that was Kakuzu's body. The fibers that bound his limbs together were threaded throughout every part of him. They formed a tentacle-like shield just beneath his dusky skin, encasing each vital organ in a layer of protection, and they were resilient and self-replicating. She was almost fascinated by them, wondering what kinjutsu made them and held them, but she slipped her awareness inside, following the sluggish flow of blood to his heart. A part of her had dreaded this - for it was Chouji's heart that Kakuzu had taken to replace his own, damaged when Hidan's cursed blade had pierced it from afar. But it was just an organ like any other, although she could see where it was not settling in as it should.

Her concentration went deeper, to a level where she lost all comprehension of self, and just focused on the task at hand. She emerged sometime later, utterly exhausted and mind fogged with fatigue. Ino drew her hands away, the last flickers of her chakra dancing little green lights across her fingertips that died even as she watched, completely bemused by the sight. When the last glimmer died, she winced, her temples pounding with an oncoming headache. She had overused her chakra, which was already at a lower level than normal.

Closing her eyes, Ino tried a meditative trance, deliberately relaxing each taut muscle in her body. The pins and needles of returning sensation distracted her, and she sighed. Opening her eyes, she sagged where she stood, a few muscles ticking with the strain of having stood in one position for so long. She was so tired she could barely raise her head to check on her patient.

Kakuzu's dusky skin wasn't as gray as before, though there was still a hint of it mixed in the stale coffee that was his normal color. He flexed his wide shoulders, and smiled. "Excellent. I did not expect such a level of concentration. Your control and chakra level are basic, but there is potential for better. Your stamina, however, needs work." He gave her a disgusted look as the tremors started. She couldn't seem to stop them. "You also dangerously overuse your energy trying to prove yourself. This may be a side effect of Itachi's interference."

Ino didn't know what he was talking about, and was too tired to really care. She wanted to find the nearest bed and fall head-first into it. Her surroundings blurred as her awareness faded. She heard voices, different voices, all low and deep, and thought that her father might be telling her to get her butt up. "Just a little more…" she murmured, and she suddenly felt herself being lifted up into someone's arms. "Daddy? How come you smell like fish…"

There was a muffled laugh and a muttered growl that was too low to be her father's voice. She blinked, and roused just enough to see a fish staring down at her. It was a blue fish. With sharp teeth - for when he smiled, he looked like a shark. That should have bothered her, but she was too tired. She must be dreaming, for the smell of the sea was thick in her nostrils and she could almost hear the waves...or was that her own breaths, slowing into sleep? But then the next wave swamped over her, and she knew no more.

ooOOOoo

She awoke in a strange bed. The smell of sea and salt were long gone, replaced by a strange mix of dust and burnt sulfur - like that instant when a match flared into light. Speaking of light - there was too much of it. Ino winced, trying to bury her head into the pillow. God, she hated mornings.

"Wake up, sleepy head!"

That voice. She knew that voice, but how could they be so damn cheerful this damn early? Ugh. One would think evil S-ranked criminals would be night owls, not early birds.

"Wakey, wakey!"

Ino mumbled a curse, one that would have horrified her mother if she had heard it. There was a muffled laugh and the chirpy bird scolded, "Oooh, Hime-sama, you said a baaad word!"

What was he, five? Ino cracked one eye open and glared. He only waved at her.

"Morning, Hime-sama!"

Hime-sama? What kind of name was that? Did Pumpkin-head mistake her for Princess Fortune? She looked nothinglikethat woman, even if Princess Porker had hired her to pose as a body-double back when she was still a genin. That reminded Ino of Prince Chikara, who the princess had hoped to impress into marriage by using Ino as a slimmer version of herself. Ugh. He was not someone she _ever_ wanted to remember. Those fat, sloppy lips had almost kissed her - gross! As if she was going to let her first kiss be from some fat, ugly, stupid -

"Leave her alone, hmm."

"But Deidara-senpai!"

"Shut up, yeah."

"But _senpai…"_

Oh, god. Not that again. Ino abruptly sat up, hoping to forestall the inevitable argument. Pushing her hair impatiently out of her eyes, she looked around her with resignation. It was the same room as yesterday, if a little messier. Whatever else those two strange guys were, they definitely weren't tidy.

There were clothes strewn everywhere, and whoever had slept on the floor hadn't bothered to do more than half-heartedly shove their bedding into the corner beside an over-turned chair. There was a thick film of dust over everything, except a set of shelves holding several white sculptures and scrolls. Besides the two beds and the bookcase, there was a desk with papers scattered across it, a couple of boxes, a trunk at the foot of the other bed and the overturned chair. Pumpkin - Tobi - was standing there looking all weird and the blond - Deidara - was lounging across the other bed, his hands busy smooshing a piece of - was that clay? - between them, one to the other. He watched her with a knowing smirk she didn't like. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Ino looked down and realized her borrowed yukata had slipped open to expose a good bit of her breasts.

Face flaming, Ino hastily jerked the yukata closed, cinching the loosened belt tight with a firm yank. When she looked back up, Deidara pouted. She glared, and he smiled. She blushed again, and looked away as Tobi tugged on her sleeve.

"Hungry, Hime-sama? Want Tobi to go get breakfast?"

"Uh…" To be honest, what she wanted was a toothbrush. She probably had morning-breath to shame a dragon. But her stomach growled, answering for her.

"Oooh...Hime-sama _very_ hungry! Tobi go. Be back quick! Don't eat senpai, he doesn't taste very good!" The man laughed hysterically at his own joke as Deidara gave him a rather impressive glare.

"And what would you know about it, un?"

"Sorry, senpai! Tobi go...Tobi go _now." _He vanished so fast it made Ino blink, for only the slamming of the door indicated he had moved.

"Don't pay him any attention. He's an idiot, yeah."

She looked at him. Deidara leisurely got up from the bed and absently plopped the ball of clay on the desk as he crossed the room, stretching leisurely. "So. You're Ino and I'm Deidara, hmm. I'm supposed to test your taijutsu and maybe teach you a thing or two." He smiled lazily, his single blue eye crinkling up at the corner past the sexy tousle of his long, blond hair. He crossed his arms, and stared down at her. "You'll be sharing our room, so we can keep a close eye on you - not that that'll be hard, yeah."

Ino was used to getting compliments. She didn't maintain her figure for nothing. But the frank admiration in Deidara's blue eye was disconcerting, and she suddenly felt out of her depth. Ino knew she was acting like a kid, blushing like she was, but this Deidara was much more direct than any other guy she had known. He was also really hot, and that made his admiration of her all the more flattering.

He was also an Akatsuki, and _not_ someone she should be thinking about like that!

Thankfully, she was saved replying by Tobi's abrupt return. He had perfect timing. Opening the door with a loud bang, he excitedly waved the tray in his hands, almost spilling the contents. Thankfully, Deidara was quick to grab it with a muttered oath.

"Sorry, senpai!"

"Damn it, Tobi - "

Quick to interrupt, Ino said, "Um, thank you, Tobi-san - "

"Oooh, she said thank you, Deidara-senpai! Did you hear her say thank you to Tobi?"

"Yes, you idiot. Now stop dancing around, yeah, before you give her a headache."

She already had one, but that was beside the point. Tobi was certainly energetic. He had already swiped a dish from the tray and extended it to her with an elaborate bow. His voice deepened as he said theatrically, "Breakfast is served, madame."

"Er...thank you." She gingerly took the bowl and stared down at the contents in surprise. "Dango?"

"Dango!" Tobi picked up a stick of the cold balls and waved it around like a wand. "Yum, yes?"

Deidara made a face. "Dango, again? Ugh." He didn't disdain the food, though, taking a stick with a resigned look.

With a shrug, Ino followed suit. She didn't dislike dango, but it was cold and made tough chewing, as it had the consistency of a sponge. It might have been better fresh, for there was a sweet sauce that tasted good but it was definitely not something she wanted to have regularly. She was hungry enough to clean both sticks, though, and fastidiously licked her sticky fingers clean afterward.

She looked up, suddenly conscious of eyes on her. She blinked at the sight of both men staring at her, Deidara with a dango stick held arrested half-way to his mouth, Tobi with his head tilted to one side.

"You have a really pink tongue, Hime-sama," he said thoughtfully.

Ino's cheeks flamed. "That's...that's not something you should…" She couldn't finish, for Deidara was suddenly grinning. She glared at him, and Tobi giggled. She didn't know a grown man could giggle like that. Her brow twitched, and gathering what dignity she could, Ino set her bowl aside and stood up with all the affected haughtiness of a daimyo. With a toss of her head to show how little they counted, she crossed the messy room and grabbed the door-knob, ready to open it.

A calloused hand abruptly covered hers. Sucking in her breath, Ino looked up into a dark blue eye as Deidara stood too close behind her to demand harshly, "Now where do you think you're going, hmm?"

She shivered. He was too close for comfort, and she took an unconscious step away. He moved closer. She gave him a disgruntled look. "To the bathroom, _if _you don't mind."

"I don't. Let's go, yeah."

"You are _not_ coming with me." Ino glared up at him. Deidara smiled, that lazy arrogance returning.

"I am, un. Let's go, princess."

"Tobi, too?" Tobi asked hopefully.

"No!" Deidara turned to scowl at his partner, whose shoulders fell.

"But, senpai…"

"No buts!" Tightening his fingers past hers on the doorknob, Deidara turned it with a hard yank. Ino jumped, colliding into him, and he grabbed her elbow with his free hand. "Come on, yeah."

Slamming the door shut behind him, he all but hauled her along in his wake. Ino struggled to keep up with his long stride, and finally protested. "Sorry," Deidara muttered, not looking at her, but immediately slowed. He didn't let go of her elbow, and his palm was warm and dry through the thin yukata. Past the closed doors they marched, and she wondered why they had to put the stupid bathroom so dang far away.

The _only_ stupid bathroom, which was currently occupied. As they approached, a voice bellowed through the thin door. "Who's the soon-to-be-damned dipshit who used up all the fucking conditioner?"

_'Oops.' _Ino slowed, biting her lip. Surprised, Deidara looked back at her and suddenly grinned when she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"His pansy ass doesn't need it, yeah," he whispered conspiratorially, bumping her with his hip. "I don't think his stupid Jashin cares if his hair's all smooth and shiny."

The wicked gleam in the blue eye that winked at her made Ino giggle. The giggle died, though, when the bathroom door flew open and a wet-haired Hidan stomped out. A completely naked and thoroughly pissed off Hidan.

"What's so fucking funny, huh?" He stood there, dripping water all over the stone floor, hands on his hips and purple eyes glaring as he scowled, completely unselfconscious. Ino stared at him, struck dumb in shock.

"What are you staring at, you crazy bitch?"

"Go put some pants on, yeah." Deidara scowled.

"What?" Hidan glanced down at himself, and then smirked. "Intimidated, blondie?"

"Hell, no!" Deidara curled his lip in disdain.

"Not you, pretty-boy. The other blondie." Propping himself against the door jam, Hidan crossed his arms. "Like what you fucking see, princess?"

Ino flushed and he laughed. Her eyes flashed at the mockery in it, and she pulled free of Deidara's loosened grip. There was only one way to deal with rude little bullies like this jerk, and that was to put them in their place.

Marching over, she glared up at Hidan. Shaking her raised pointer finger right in his face, she hissed, "You're just a stupid little boy, you know that? You think that just because you're some bad-ass Akatsuki you can just walk all over everybody. Well, let me tell you, _buddy_, I'm not someone it's wise to mess with! _I'm_ not going to put up with your stupid mouth, got that? And - " She pointedly dropped her gaze before sneering back up at him. " - I've seen bigger."

With a last toss of her head, Ino brushed past him and slammed the door closed, adding a bit of chakra to help shove him out of the way.

ooOOOoo

Deidara couldn't help laughing at Hidan's stunned expression.

"Why, that little bitch…" Hidan growled, fists clenching. "I'm gonna - "

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Deidara drawled, calmly opening his palm to reveal the little white spider cupped within.

Hidan flushed. "Fucking terrorist."

"I think you'd better go get dressed, hmm?"

"But I wasn't fucking done with my shower!" Hidan protested.

"Oh, you're done, priest." Deidara lounged indolently against the wall, idly tossing his tiny sculpture and catching it.

"You don't want to fucking piss me off, pretty-boy." Hidan's warning was low and dangerous. "Jashin-sama - "

Deidara rolled his eyes even as he tensed with anticipation, waiting for the stupid Jashinite to spring. But the imminent fight was belayed by Itachi's abrupt appearance between them. His cool gaze cut from one to the other.

"Problems, gentlemen?"

"Nope," Deidara replied coolly, his spider magically disappearing as Hidan's bottom lip puckered out at being denied another good sacrifice.

"Fucking atheists," he muttered darkly, stalking off.

"Now that's an ass I _never_ want to see again," Kisame commented dryly as Hidan's door slammed closed behind him. There was a muffled protest from Kakuzu and Hidan shouted back, suddenly going silent as Kakuzu probably threatened to sever his head again if he didn't shut the hell up.

"I don't know how those two survive each other." Kisame shook his grey head. "It probably helps that they're both immortal."

"I don't think even Jashin can save Hidan's ass if he pisses Kakuzu off too often, yeah," Deidara replied with a smug grin. "He's managed to kill off his last three partners within a few weeks, hmm."

"Which is why this one may last," Itachi said coolly. Deidara's eyes narrowed.

The temperature in the hallway noticeably dropped by several degrees and Kisame's forehead wrinkled. His silver eyes gleamed as he looked from one man to the other, his sharp teeth flashing in a grin. "Glad to see everyone getting along as usual."

Itachi's black gaze cut to his partner's. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

"Arrogant bastard," Deidara muttered darkly.

"Oh, he's all right." Kisame shrugged. Propping a companionable shoulder against the wall, the shark-nin asked, "So, how's it going?"

Deidara eyed the grinning giant. "How's _what _going, hmm?"

"The girl. The one I dumped in your bed last night, you lucky bastard."

"What about her?" Deidara pretended a cool disdain he was far from feeling.

"She gave it to Hidan pretty good," Kisame said with some relish. It was good to see that mouthy bastard taken down a peg or two.

"Yeah." Deidara grinned. "Didn't know she had it in her."

"With a temper like that, she might even manage to survive a few days." Kisame laughed. "That's if she doesn't manage to piss you off, Deidara-san. You got a pretty short fuse yourself."

Deidara grunted. The big brute was one of the few members of Akatsuki he liked or respected. Although there was no artistry to the big brute's fighting, there was a dash of style to the coarse effectiveness of his Samheda. Besides, you had to respect the fact that the former Mist-nin could stomach, let alone get along with, that ass hole Uchiha so well.

"I heard that besides babysitting, you get to teach her a little taijustu."

"Well, we'll see how she does, hmm?" Deidara suddenly smiled, the spider appearing between his fingers. Kisame eyed the shorter man before shaking his head.

"You know, Deidara-san, you should only look that passionate when you're in the arms of a beautiful woman, not trying to blow her up."

"My art is my passion," Deidara replied with a shrug.

"We sure are a crazy bunch, aren't we?" Kisame grinned, getting up off the wall and giving Deidara a mock salute before sauntering off. "See you around, Deidara-san. Don't enjoy yourself so much you forget we actually have a use for her - alive."

Deidara only stared absently into the distance, his fingers continuing to play with the small spider in the silence.

ooOOOoo

Eying the cupful of used toothbrushes, Ino made a face. No way in hell was she even going there. Who knew what weirdo used which. Squeezing the gritty toothpaste out of a tube so rolled up it was pathetic, she used her finger to brush her teeth. Flipping open the medicine cabinet, she eyed the bargain-basement supplies with resignation. Those guys sure were cheap. But any deodorant was better than no deodorant, although she didn't even want to think who had used it last.

Wiping the top down with a bit of tissue paper, Ino made a mental note to find a razor somewhere. That, or a kunai. Either would do in a pinch, though she'd rather go buy some herself. She wondered if they'd let her, and then grinned with the sudden idea of how she could. None of these guys looked like they would be capable of going into a store and calmly asking for tampons. And it was rather obvious that Konan - the only other woman she'd seen - didn't stay here in the same bin with the other loonies.

Temper much improved, Ino wondered if she might talk them into getting some clothes. Hers had disappeared - she hoped to the laundry, and not the trash. She could kick herself for leaving her purple uniform on the floor of the bathroom yesterday. It was gone now, of course, but she'd really like something else to wear than another too-big bathrobe. Not that these were really bathrobes - they were like those free yukata given to patrons at a bathhouse. She wondered if Akatsuki had stooped to swiping them from some poor spa, and giggled at the thought.

God, it felt good to laugh. Even for something so stupid. Yelling at that arrogant jerk Hidan had done her a world of good, releasing a tension and fear she had not known she'd had. Well, she'd known it, she'd just not wanted to admit just how scary those guys were. Especially a sadistic Jashin-freak like Hidan. Ino sobered, remembering with a stab of pain who that jerk had last sacrificed to his bloody god. _'I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I didn't mean to belittle your memory.'_

She would belittle her teammate's memory if she didn't manage to somehow make this work and fit in with this crew of deranged psychotics. Ino felt a stab of doubt. How could her father and the Hokage ask this of her? She was just a chunin. Not even a skilled jounin could pull this farce off. But they believed in her, and she supposedly had an ally in Itachi. One she could not trust, for she just couldn't settle in her mind what she had always known about him and the supposed lie of it. He had hurt Sasuke, deeply, to the point where it had changed the dark-eyed boy.

Ino sighed. She had once loved Sasuke, not only with the fervor of a first crush, but for the brave front he had turned to the world after his family was slaughtered by his older brother. She had felt Sasuke's deep pain, the void left in his heart after his clan were gone, and she had ached for what he was going through alone. Always alone. She had offered to help him - granted, she had probably come off a bit pushy about it, but it really nagged at her, that empty pain that gaped like an unhealed wound inside his soul, slowly turning bitter with hatred and rage. Sensitive to others' emotions, even at such a young age, Ino had felt him slipping away from her, and her desperation to keep him from turning to the darkness had been seen by Sakura as her desperation to have him as her boyfriend.

Not that Ino would have minded having Uchiha Sasuke as her boyfriend. He was the coolest, cutest boy in school, and she was the admitted class beauty. But what Forehead hadn't known was that it was more than just having a prize like Sasuke on her arm. It was being able to reach into the isolated darkness that he had drawn over himself like a hard shield and maybe...help him, somehow.

Not that Ino would ever admit that to anyone - she'd _die_ first. Especially not to Sakura, who had been so hateful back then, when they had fought over Sasuke. Forehead's betrayal still stung, even though Ino didn't want to admit that, either. The way Sakura had dropped their close friendship so easily over a boy they both liked had made Ino incredibly bitter, not to mention stung her pride. Why, she had adopted Sakura and made her into what she was! There was gratitude for you. Help others, and see what it got you?

Although she couldn't _not_ help others. It was in her nature. Even if they didn't always appreciate her efforts. Like stupid Sakura.

But that was all in the past, and many years had passed since then. Even if her competition with Sakura was still there. Begun over a boy, it was now over the fact that Ino couldn't stand to lose to anyone, in anything. Especially to _Forehead_, of all people. Although she had to admit that Sakura had left her behind in more ways than she cared to count. That shamed her, and Ino set her jaw stubbornly. Who knew, maybe this mission wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she could learn a thing or two from the Akatsuki. They had offered to train her. Had made it a requirement, actually, and Konan had made it perfectly clear that if she failed to measure up to their high standards, than they would consider her expendable. Her very survival depended on how well she learned, and fear was a great motivator, when all was said and done.

Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all…

ooOOOoo

This was bad. Really bad.

"You can't expect me to fight in that." Ino glared at the baggy blue pants he held up to her. The legs pooled on the floor. Even rolling them up wouldn't work. And the shirt...

"I need a bra."

A golden brow rose sardonically. "Why, yeah?"

"Because...because you would see my...my...ah…" She blushed as his grin turned wicked. Ino scowled, snatching the mesh top out of his left hand while grabbing the pants out of the other. She eyed the white pile of bindings ninja would use to wrap as a lower leg guard. It seemed the standard Akatsuki uniform consisted of some rather cheap clothing, bought in bulk in a variety of sizes. It was just her bad luck that none of them were small enough to fit her.

"I need a pair of scissors. Or a kunai."

"You want me to give you a kunai?"

She gave Deidara a withering look. "What do you think I'm going to do? Throw it at you?"

His eye narrowed. He looked suddenly dangerous.

All too conscious of the sudden tension, which frightened her, Ino scowled, trying to ignore it. "Sounds tempting, I must admit."

He laughed, and handed her a knife. He even let her push him out the door long enough that she could dress. It was a hack job, and she would have _died_ if anyone she knew saw her. At least she had managed to get her breasts bound with some of the white bindings, which she also used on her as impromptu underwear, carefully wrapping her thighs so the coarse fabric of the cheap pants wouldn't chafe.

Chopping off most of the legs, Ino managed to wrangle a pair of short-pants out of the dark blue breeches. She had to poke extra holes into the smallest belt to cinch it around her narrow waist, cutting the extra leather off one end. She couldn't do much for the bagginess of the mesh shirt, which slid down her arms past the elbow. Fishing it off, she mercilessly cut the sleeves off. Better, but it still hung distractingly down past her hips to her knees. Nothing she could do about that, though, because if she cut the hem off, the braided threads of the mesh would start unraveling. So she tied it tight to her waist, and had to settle for that. She wasn't pleased with the effect, and her disgruntlement showed when she finally let Deidara back into the dusty supply closet to see the results of her work.

His brow rose, and he forbore to comment past, "You really are short, you know that, un?"

"Shut up."

"You have quite a mouth on you, princess." He scowled down at her.

"Are you going to start calling me that, too?" She scowled back.

Leaning forward, he whispered silkily, his breath warm against her ear, "I can think of better uses for that mouth, hmm."

Ino shut up.

Standing back up, Deidara smiled lazily. "Hope your shoes are dry, yeah. There's no way you'd fit any of _those." _He pointed at the row of blue ninja sandals.

Ino self-consciously scrunched her bare toes, asking hopefully, "So you saved my clothes?"

Deidara shrugged. "Tobi took 'em to the laundry, yeah. I think."

"You don't know?" Ino demanded.

He looked at her.

She shut up.

In the end, they did find her sandals, and they were, at least, dry. Better than her uniform, which had been washed, but was still wadded up into a damp ball along with several pairs of blue, black and gray pants and numerous grey and black shirts. Akatsuki really needed to update their gloomy wardrobe, Ino thought as she grimaced at the pervasive smell of mildew. At least they had a good, industrial-sized washer. Dumping a scoop of detergent across the wet pile, she reset the timer to rerun the load. "I'll come back and change them over."

"Come to think of it, you are now the newest recruit, un. Low man on the totem pole. Laundry and dishes will be your job. Tobi'll be happy." Deidara smiled at her resigned look. "So will we, yeah. He sucks."

"Thanks." The irony was lost on him. He suddenly looked thoughtful.

"You don't cook do you?"

"No," Ino said flatly. "I suck."

"Really? That's a shame, un. Only decent cook we have is Kisame, and he only ever likes to cook fish. Gets tiresome, yeah."

"Why don't you guys hire some help? Don't you have enough money?"

He looked at her like she was daft. "What? Should we put an ad out, hmm? 'Criminal organization looking for good chef?'"

Ino suddenly grinned. "Why not? You can add, 'Discretion a plus. Must be able to feed a diverse range of dietary requirements. The squeamish, hemophobics, and anyone sane need not apply.'"

His mouth twitched.

"Come on, you know you want to laugh," Ino teased, suddenly liking this unexpected side of Deidara.

"Senpai laugh?" Tobi abruptly popped his head around the corner. "Senpai can't laugh! Isn't cool for Akatsuki to laugh, right, senpai?" Tobi then laughed, hysterically, and left Ino staring after him, uncertain of the joke as he disappeared.

Deidara's expression was dark. He didn't look at her as he said flatly, "Come on, let's go. It's time to test your taijutsu."

Daunted by the sudden change in the tall blond, Ino hid a reflexive shiver at the maniacal light in those too-blue eyes. Reminded abruptly why the _sane_ need not apply, she slowly followed, dread trailing icy fingers down her spine.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**Consequence**

_A/N: So it's been a while since I posted on this story, but I've been in a limey sort of mood, and what's better served than some yummy Akatusuki lime-ade? You are warned… =P_

_**Chapter Four**_

Emerging outside the underground base, Ino curiously looked around, wondering where they were. There was nothing distinctive about the trees; it was a forest like any other. There was a profusion of mossy rocks, and more moss covered the south side of the trees in thick green carpets, draping green swathes from wide limbs. The air was damp, and slightly cool. Looking up to catch a glimpse of the sky, she saw lowering clouds that promised a drippy rain later. An idle wind feathered through her long ponytail, which she had finally managed to tie up with a borrowed band from Deidara. She shivered at the chill breath of it, missing the sunny warmth of her home.

The same wind played through Deidara's golden mane as Ino looked over at him. He stood slightly in front of her, his attention seemingly on something in the distance, his Akatsuki cloak fluttering around his braced calves. Those red clouds on black distracted Ino; they looked like splashes of blood. She remembered, suddenly, just _whose_ blood had last been splashed across that design, and felt her throat catch. She looked away, and fought back the pain with a growing dull anger at what fickle fate had taken from her.

She started, reflexively shying as Tobi suddenly appeared at her elbow. "Hime-sama! Tobi is a good boy and brought your purse, yes?"

"Oh. Thank you, Tobi-san." She took the weapons pouch with numb fingers, automatically hooking it to her belt. The familiar weight at the small of her back felt comforting, but she missed her tanto. She frowned. "Where's my sword?"

"You won't be needing it today, yeah."

She looked up as Deidara approached with a distracted air. One hand was buried beneath his parted cloak. She wondered what he was digging for, but Tobi distracted her by propping his masked head on her shoulder. "Maybe we can play with knives later, yes? Tobi likes to play with knives!"

The glee in his voice made Ino shy again. She stared up at him. Thin as a rail, he towered over her. He was a good bit taller than Deidara, who was hardly short. There was something ominous about the way Tobi stared at her, the swirling orange mask hiding more than just his face. Ino had the uneasy feeling that there was a lot Tobi hid. His goofy behavior made her forget just what he was, a member of Akatsuki. She wondered if he took the same childlike delight in slaughtering people as he seemingly did everything else. That thought disturbed her more than even Hidan's misplaced religious fervor or Kakuzu's blunt monstrosity. At least they were straight-forward in their homicidal tendencies.

"Am I supposed to spar with both of you?" she asked, nervously reaching inside her pouch, fingers making sure nothing was missing.

"Oh, no, Hime-sama! Tobi only watch for now." The pumpkin tilted, and he drawled out luridly, "Tobi _likes_ to watch."

"Pervert," Deidara muttered.

Tobi only giggled.

Ino made an inarticulate sound, edging away from the tall nin. She almost bumped into Deidara, who gave her an annoyed look. Surprised by it, she wondered what was wrong, for the blond looked both distracted and...anticipating? Anticipating what?

"Ah, you haven't exactly explained what we are going to do? What I'm supposed to do?" Ino ventured tentatively.

Deidara shrugged. "I suggest you run."

"Run?" She was confused. There was a gleam in the blue eye he cast down at her, one that made icy tendrils crawl down her spine.

"Run, Hime-sama!" Tobi clapped his hands in delight. "Deidara-senpai's fast. You gotta be faster!"

"What do you mean?" Okay, that was an obviously downright stupid question, but Ino was hoping to stall them for a few seconds so that she could wrap her brain around the crazy look in Deidara's eyes.

"He means, _run_." Deidara leaned close to whisper in her ear. Her eyes widened at the feel of his warm breath against her skin. She snaked a hand behind her back, palming a kunai, and reflexively jumped back. Putting herself in a defensive stance, Ino warily eyed both of them, trusting neither. Deidara's hand emerged from his coat, and his fingers were moving rapidly, smoothing something...clay? She remembered the beautiful white sculptures scattered over the bookcase in their room, and watched in confusion as a small hummingbird emerged. It was perfect, if a little abstract in design, the eyes oversized blank holes above its needle-thin beak.

Deidara looked up at her, a light in his blue eyes that made her stomach tighten. He brought two fingers of his free hand up to his mouth in a hand-sign. Ino's eyes narrowed, noting how Tobi was inching away from the shorter blond with deliberately theatric movements. Once he'd backed away a good yard, he scuttled off like a surprised cockroach.

Deidara murmured something, tossing the small bird into the air. There was a pop, almost like a short explosion, and the empty-eyed sculpture suddenly came to life. Ino's eyes widened, she hadn't been expecting that. It hovered, wings beating a mile a minute, and slowly turned to face her.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Deidara asked, that wicked light in his eyes creeping her out.

"Um, yes," Ino offered noncommittally, her eyes fastened on the bird, which hovered there. Her legs tensed.

"You don't like it?" Deidara appeared startled, a golden brow coming down in a fierce frown.

"It's beautiful," Ino honestly admitted, for it was. But there was something about those empty eyes that had her brain shrieking at her even as it hovered so innocently, its wings beating so fast there was a faint drone in the air. She continued, too nervous not to be frank, "But it scares me."

"Really?" Deidara looked flattered.

He was as nuts as the rest of them. She was done talking. Tossing her kunai, Ino bolted.

ooOOOoo

What a typical ploy for a Leaf-nin. One would think they could come up with something more creative than trying to distract their opponent with a thrown knife so they could retreat. Sliding slightly to the right, Deidara easily caught the kunai between his teeth as the little hummingbird shot forward, after the girl, who had disappeared among the trees. Deidara followed almost leisurely, his hands absently molding another hummingbird even as he leapt to the nearest tree limb. Sending a thread of chakra to his feet, he automatically ran along the intertwining branches. There was a scramble off to his right, and he grinned at the sight of a long ponytail streaming down to earth like a waving ribbon as she leapt back down, barely avoiding the hummingbird which darted after her with lightning-fast moves.

Shit, she was slow. Even with those long legs, she was barely keeping ahead of his little bird, and he could hear her harsh pants as she threw aside stealth for pure flight. Sliding to an easy crouch against the fork of the tree he was currently resting in, Deidara watched her for a moment, bemused by the spectacle as she shied and twisted, trying to stay one branch ahead of the flying explosive. What a tempting target she was, so fragile looking but yet so tough and flexible. She did an acrobatic handstand, legs barely getting out of the way in time as she swung herself up over the branch she used as an impromptu high-bar just as the hummingbird darted under it. One of the downsides of using this particular sculpture was that while it had quick reflexes, it was slow to react. Such a little head gave it little room for thought, and its psuedo-intelligence was limited. If he made the head a little bigger, it was a much better weapon, but he was going easy on the girl, this being just a test and all.

A test she was failing miserably. For all her jumping and darting, he wasn't impressed. If this was typical of a Konaha chunin, than their supposed reputation for having the best shinobi was blown all out of proportion. He watched with a frown as she flipped over her branch, disappearing into the thicker underbrush. He decided to up the ante, and was about to toss a second hummingbird into the air when he heard the faint whirr of something sharp coming straight for him. With a surprised cock of his brow, he jumped up to the next branch, and three shuriken thudded into the trunk he'd just stood beside.

_*Not bad, hmm.*_ He grinned around the kunai still held in his teeth, and knocked the second set of shuriken aside using the end of the blade, leaping back as a third set landed in a wide arc just over his head as he dropped back down to the ground in a wary crouch. _*There!*_

He tossed the kunai, and the agitated shaking in the bushes confirmed his guess. Ino emerged, shying behind the nearest tree and he watched her shimmy up it. Wow, she had a nice ass. She vanished behind some leafy branches, and he released his second hummingbird, sending it zooming straight at her location.

Bringing his fingers to his lips, he smiled. "Katsu."

The top of the tree exploded in a brilliant shower of glaring light and roiling smoke. Shattered leaves fell like rain, their ends lit into glowing red streaks, like falling fireflies. Admiring the beautiful display, Deidara grinned to see a long, white-gold ponytail disappearing into another tree, much lower than before. He set the first hummingbird after her, quickly forming several small hornets with his hands. They would cause only tiny explosions that couldn't hurt her if she got out of the way in time, of course, but would keep her occupied and distracted for a while. He wanted to test her hand-to-hand skills as well, and so set off at a quick run after sending the hornets streaming ahead of him.

ooOOOoo

_*Ohgodohgodohgodohgod.*_

Gritting her teeth, Ino threw a kunai at one of the buzzing white insects, pinning it to the tree beside her through one clay wing. It buzzed in agitation. She ducked, dropping down to a lower branch as it exploded with a muffled boom, swaying the branch she clung to like a leech. The other clay insects used the noise to orient on her position, and she cursed under her breath as she abandoned stealth to jump for the tree beyond. She ran, feeding chakra into her feet and wind, her heart in her mouth as she barely avoided a falling branch, muffled explosions following in her wake. She slipped slightly, and winced as a muscle tore in her leg. Ignoring the pain, she stopped long enough to perform the needed hand seals. One hand glowed green with healing chakra as she repaired the muscle, using her other to fold an explosive tag around a kunai and toss it behind her. The muffled boom-boom of bomb meeting bomb made her wince, but it wasn't enough to break her concentration. Satisfied that she had healed as much as she could, she darted around the next tree, and came face to face with the hummingbird.

_*Shit!*_

They stared at each other for a frozen moment, than Ino jumped, tucking herself into a ball and praying with all her might as the world exploded above her. She felt something sear across her shoulder, another burn along her calf, and fire caught in the trailing end of her too-big shirt. She couldn't hold back a whimper of pure terror as she finally hit the ground rolling, and kept rolling to put the fire out. Dry leaves and small twigs tore at her skin and clothing, and she realized too late as the ground slipped away right from under her. She went tumbling end-over-end down a steep gully, and landed with an undignified "Mmph!" at the bottom. Spitting out a mouthful of leaves and dirt, she froze, hearing the sound of footsteps. Deidara certainly wasn't bothering to hide his presence, the arrogant jerk. Holding her breath, Ino tried to locate him by sound. There, up above her. He was probably following the broken trail of her graceless fall into the dumb ditch.

Glancing up at the thick tangle of leaves and branches above her, Ino wondered if it might be possible that he didn't know where she was, for the footsteps went back and forth, hesitating and then stopping, as if he were searching for her. Taking a gamble, Ino stilled her mind, sucking in her chakra and thinking fiercely of "nothing." It had the dual effect of covering her chakra and projecting the generic thought to anyone within range that there was really nothing there. It had worked well in childhood games of hide-and-seek. She hadn't thought of that trick in years, but she was desperate enough to try _anything _at this point.

It seemed to be working, for risking a glance upwards, she could see Deidara pausing at the edge of the gully, a fierce frown on his face. His eyes passed over her numerous times, and she had to keep the elation from breaking her concentration. She watched, eyes narrowing, as he finally started descending the steep slope, following the broken trail of scattered leaves, eyes actually scanning the other slope, where he probably thought she had climbed out. A hornet buzzed beside him, agitatedly sweeping from side to side, and her guess was confirmed that his hideously beautiful explosives used their target's chakra to orient themselves on their victims. They could probably even detect when a ninja used chakra to _hide_ his chakra, thus rendering the typical defensive jutsu ineffective. But Ino didn't need to use chakra to blank out her mind like this - it was just part of her telepathic gifts, and didn't need anything but her stubborn will. Something that'd been perfect back when she was a kid, when she didn't have the training or ability yet to use her chakra.

Ino tensed as Tobi suddenly appeared high in a tree above them. "Where'd she go, Deidara-senpai? I can't see her."

"Shut up, yeah." Deidara scowled at the puzzled pumpkin, his attention on the other side of the gully as he crouched near the bottom. She could have reached out and touched him, he was so close. Ino hid a shiver, noting that he liked to paint his toes as black as his fingers. What was up with Akatsuki's freaky nail-polish fetish, anyway? All of them painted their nails, some even going emo with the eyeliner. Deidara and Itachi were both in that camp. Kinda sexy, in a way, but still weird.

She was distracting herself, trying to gather up enough courage to take him by surprise. His techniques and jutsu had all been distance fighting, Ino was hoping he had perfected those strengths in order to make up for a lack of close-combat skills. She couldn't lie here forever, although the idea really was tempting. But the burns on shoulder and thigh were starting to itch, and she had numerous scratches and abrasions from her headlong roll through the dirt that were sending distracting messages to her brain that they weren't too happy with the current situation. Neither were her muscles, which were showing the strain of having to stay so tensed and still for so long. It wouldn't _be_ long before a cramp started, and she couldn't take her concentration away from maintaining her disappearing act to ease it with some judicious ninjutsu.

Well, the situation wasn't going to get any better by her sitting back and doing nothing. She'd lose the element of surprise in another second, when Deidara decided to move. He was already starting to turn his head away, his shoulders turning slightly. It was the perfect opportunity to throw him off-balance - now!

Hurling herself at him, Ino's hands glowed as she focused her chakra into her fists. She caught him off-guard, for a wide blue eye stared at her in astonishment as he tilted his head back. Her grip tightened around his shoulders, hoping to shove him flat on the ground, but she was suddenly somersaulting right over his shoulders as he bent over. She kept her grip, hoping to pull him after her, but he was rooted with stronger chakra to the ground. They froze for a long second in that awkward position, her back to his front, her arms back over her head and he half bent over from her drag on his shoulders.

_*Not good! _Move, _stupid!* _Ino let go, shying as an arm tried to snake around her waist, and fended off his hands with a quick series of flat-handed strikes. They exchanged hand-combinations in a flurry of lightning-fast moves, and she was surprised at just how quick Deidara was. She was one of the best in hand-to-hand combat - although Tsunade-sama didn't like her getting so close, since a medic-nin's number one priority was staying alive to keep the other members of her team the same. Gritting her teeth, Ino glared into the blue eye that smiled down at her. He was toying with her, the jerk. Her eyes narrowed, and she suddenly switched it up, jumping off his bent knee to slam a foot into his belly. He went sailing through the air with a loud "Oof!" of exploding air, and she grinned.

"Not...so…weak...huh?" she panted, and then scooted as he launched himself at her. They circled and leapt, exchanging blows and twisting out of the way barely in time to avoid direct hits. Ino had a renewed respect for Deidara's strength, and barely kept out of grabbing range by using several acrobatic flips and twists. He managed to land a solid chop on her shoulder, and she managed to kick him in the leg - not that he showed any strain, damn it. Better was the hit she gave to his upper right arm. The blond actually winced, which made her grin, though she couldn't let that inflate her confidence. He was good, almost as good as Might Gai, who was the strongest taijutsu shinobi the Leaf Village had. If she hadn't been saving so much of her chakra, she'd be in more trouble than she was. But this physical exchange was something she was good at, and she actually relished sparring with someone so unpredictable. Feeding her chakra into her physical body, Ino was able to match his speed. She couldn't keep it up forever, but that just meant she had to up the ante again.

Diving under Deidara's arm, she managed to reach back into her pouch and pull out several kunai. The single blond brow she could see beneath the thick fall of his golden hair lifted, and Deidara grinned at her. He dodged the first she threw at him, and caught the second, sending it straight back at her. Ino caught it with a smirk, and threw it back. This time he dodged and tried to tackle her. She escaped by using the kunai in a way he couldn't expect. Thrusting it into the tree trunk beside her, Ino used it to swing herself up, adding chakra to her knees so that she sat sideways looking down at him on the tree's vertical surface, her long ponytail hanging over her left shoulder as she smiled and panted.

Deidara didn't follow her up the tree like she expected. He just stood there, a faint smile on his lips. Suspicious, Ino risked a look up and her eyes widened at the hornet that hovered just above her. _*Crap!* _

It dove, and she let go of the knife, swinging around the tree and racing up the other side as it zoomed after her. Pulling an explosive tag and blade out of her pouch, Ino zigzagged back around the tree, now heading back down in a rush towards the ground as the deadly clay bomb closed in. She'd have to do the last thing Deidara would ever expect to avoid being hit. He was still standing down at the tree's base, looking up at her. _*Perfect.*_ She timed the distance, hurling her kunai even as she leapt free of the tree.

The hornet and tagged kunai collided and she added chakra into her downward dive, praying fervently that it would be enough to escape the explosion and that Deidara would still be there to catch her before she broke every bone in her body against the unforgiving earth. His eye widened just a second before she fell on him. His arms reflexively curled around her, and they toppled over as fire blossomed all around them, cracking the top of the massive tree in half and hurtling it straight towards their sprawled position on the ground.

Deidara was fast. Rolling them out of the way, he was on his feet and jumping for the safety of the next tree, Ino hanging onto him like a monkey as he used one arm circled around her waist to keep her there and the other to swing himself up onto a larger branch that could better hold their combined weight.

"What the hell were you thinking, un?" he demanded as the destroyed tree fell over behind them with a groaning crash that shook the forest for a mile round. Fire crackled along its length, and the missing-nin tried to push her off of him. Ino clung like a leech, wrapping her legs tightly around his body and locking her arms just under his. He tried to shrug her off, using the hand wrapped around her waist to drag at her, but Ino stubbornly kept her hold. "What are you...?"

"Nothing you do will make me let go!" she hissed even as he deliberately slammed her back against the solid tree trunk trying to do just that. "Ow!"

"Are you crazy?" he demanded, the muscles along his arm bulging as Ino increased the chakra into her hands, locking them in place.

"No, but I'm betting _you_ aren't crazy enough to blow yourself up!" she retorted, even as his free hand slid up her shoulder, trying to dig into a pressure point. She ignored the pain, saying triumphantly, "You're not about to use one of those damn bombs to kill yourself, are you?"

Deidara suddenly threw back his head and laughed. It was a crazy laugh, and she could feel the shudders going throughout his body. Ino smirked, deliberately tightening her legs around his waist to emphasize her point. _*Ha! Got you!*_

Deidara's taut muscles slowly relaxed, and the look he turned on her grew lazy, the blue shadows in his eye darkening. Ino's eyes widened in reaction, and she was suddenly conscious of their position - her arms and legs wrapped around his body, his arm encircling her waist as his other hand lightly rested along her neck and shoulder. His thumb was idly rubbing circles there and she was aware of the hard, immovable surface of the trunk behind her as he dipped his head close to hers, his long blond hair coming forward to mingle with hers as he whispered huskily, "There are other ways to make you let go, yeah."

Ino's breath sucked in sharply as he pressed a teasing kiss on her lobe, nibbling lightly. Her heartbeat quickened and her eyes fluttered closed at those warm lips moved past her ear and down her neck, a warm, wet tongue flicking here and there as he traced a feathering path down the white column of her throat. She trembled as the unknown, heady sensation set tiny explosions off in her belly, lighting little fires all over her skin, which suddenly felt so thin and transparent as he nibbled lightly at the base of her throat. She couldn't seem to find her breath, and she opened her eyes in confusion when his free hand moved up to trace the line of her jaw, his fingers tangling in the short hair that fell over her ear without the normal barrette to keep it back. His palm was strangely damp, wet and tickling in a way that distracted her. There was a heat in Deidara's gaze that turned the blue of his eyes electric, and Ino unconsciously licked her dry lips, her eyes searching his in nervous anticipation.

He dipped his head again, and closing her eyes, Ino lifted her chin slightly, her heart beating rapidly at the thought that she was about to receive her first, real kiss. And not from some stupid, fumbling boy with wet, sloppy lips or that chicken-like peck at the end of her first school dance. This was from a _man_, and those first, lousy attempts didn't really count. She puckered her lips, and trembled when he hesitated, drawing out the moment, his breath warm on her trembling lips. She opened her eyes, confused again, and he smirked. Her brows came down, angrily, and then his lips were suddenly on hers and she gasped, eyes closing as his talented mouth worked over hers with deliberate, teasing motions.

His lips were soft, the pressure light and then hard, his tongue sweeping across her mouth with that same feathering pattern he had used on her neck that had made her toes curl. He traced the bow of her lips leisurely, lightly sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and then biting it. Ino trembled at the sensation, and eagerly opened her mouth when he murmured coaxingly against her lips. His tongue surged inside to twine with hers, and she tried to gasp through her nose when he sucked her tongue into the heat of his mouth, mapping and nibbling and doing something with his hips that had her body tightening all over as fiery sensations were set off in her belly. She was conscious of the rough, unmoving surface behind her, the electric heat of his skin where it touched hers. The heady feel of his muscles playing along his back where her palms now lay flat, her fingers curling into him in unconscious motions as he deliberately pressed himself between her legs. Her thighs trembled as he dragged himself across her core, and there was a heady, rushing sensation to that area, as if pure lightning were being sent straight through her body from the contact of his. Her legs loosened and she moaned softly, the sound almost despairing and hungry and so utterly overwhelming as she completely lost herself inside it - but he was suddenly lifting his head away, and Ino looked up with dazed incomprehension when Deidara smirked down at her. She would have sagged if he didn't hold her up with his strong arm wrapped around her waist.

Deidara pressed his forehead against hers, the metal of his slashed headband digging slightly against her skin. Locking eyes with her, he said softly, "I win."

Ino abruptly realized how her legs and arms had fallen away from around him as he manipulated her senses into thoughtless stupidity. Damn it! She glared, and tried to push him off of her as he laughed. Ino punched his shoulder, but he only tightened his hold around her waist, plucking her up off her feet and hauling her up over his shoulder like a prize. Ino growled at the undignified position, trying to wiggle free, but Deidara lightly smacked her bottom with his free hand. "Now, now, it isn't nice to be such a sore loser, un."

"Shut up!" Ino snapped. "And put me down! I'm not a bag of dog food!"

"No, you're not, hmm." His hand turned caressing, and Ino froze as his fingers lightly trailed up the back of her thigh, something wet and warm licking a tickling pattern that made the taut muscles jump. She closed her eyes at the sensation, heat burning straight to her belly. Deidara laughed again, smug in his male superiority, and she half-heartedly poked him in the kidneys.

"Just put me down." Ino grit her teeth. "You've proven your point, dang it."

"Only if you say please, yeah." His head tilted, probably to look back at her, but she couldn't see anything but the stupid red clouds on his stupid Akatsuki cloak. That, and too many branches between them and the ground. His long hair tickled her waist where the mesh didn't cover her skin.

"Not on your life!" Ino spat, more angry at herself than at him for getting herself into such a ridiculous position. God, this was humiliating, and that smug bastard seemed to take some cruel delight in it. Stupid Akatsuki jerk.

He laughed again, and then she had to grab onto his cloak as he launched himself out of the tree. Leaping from one branch to the next, Deidara swiftly descended. He didn't let go of her like she'd half-hoped he would when they finally reached the ground, and she resigned herself to the indignity of being carried like this all the way back to the base. Propping one elbow on his shoulder, Ino put her chin on her hand and scowled. "This is _not_ cool, you know that?"

Right on cue, here came Tobi. Ino closed her eyes and didn't bother to hide her groan.

"Deidara-senpai? Why are you carrying Hime-sama? You didn't kill her, did you?"

Ino made a face. "No, he didn't kill me."

"Yet!" Tobi said, and then laughed hysterically.

Ino shivered. That guy was _creepy._

Deidara scowled. "Shut up, yeah." And then stalked off, taking her with him. Tobi followed, skipping from side to side and humming a cheerful little ditty in a bad key.

Ino closed her eyes. This really couldn't get any worse.

ooOOOoo

Except, of course, it did. For even as they reached the hidden entrance to the underground base, they were greeted by the sight of two others emerging. Well, she didn't get much sight of them past the lower lengths of their black cloaks and their feet. But one pair was grey-blue, and the other had purple toe nails, and she knew that that meant -

"Itachi."

"Deidara."

The exchange was rather cool, even a little malicious on Deidara's part.

"Caught yourself a pretty little fish there, Deidara-san," Blue-Feet said, slapping him on the shoulder as he leaned down to peer at her. "Why, hello there. Yamanaka Ino, right?"

She was startled by the inhuman face staring down at her. He looked like some kind of shark-man, and those teeth he flashed at her were as sharp as the weird yin-yang-plant-thang from yesterday. He smelled, unsurprisingly, like the sea, but she wondered why it seemed so familiar. She was unbalanced enough to stutter politely, "Uh, nice to meet you."

"Hoshigaki Kisame," he supplied, and bowed. He had a huge sword wrapped in bandages slung across his back. When he straightened, Ino had to tilt her head back to look up at him. He was freaking _huge._

She was so distracted by the shark-guy, she'd nearly forgotten Itachi. Standing beside the blue man, he appeared shorter than he really was. Both were dressed in the high-collared Akatsuki cloaks, and carried strange conical hats with multiple strips of white cloth attached. She wondered where they were going, and started when Itachi's black eyes suddenly cut to hers, effectively pinning her with a cold look. She froze, for his eyes narrowed, a rather expressive gesture for someone so stone-faced.

"We will speak, Yamanaka-san." He imperiously gestured. Ino blinked as Deidara's arm tightened around her waist, effectively restraining her.

"Why, yeah?" he demanded bluntly.

Kisame's forehead wrinkled in a strange way. The gesture distracted Ino, for it pulled the gills on the upper part of his cheeks into prominence. He really was half-shark, like that girl she had met in Sea Country. She wondered if Doctor Amachi had messed with him, too.

Itachi's attention transferred to her captor, and he said coldly, "Leader would speak with you, Deidara, about the girl's proficiency. We will escort her back to your room."

"Oooh, Deidara-senpai, it isn't wise to keep Leader-sama waiting! We better hurry!" Tobi trembled all over with eagerness.

Deidara gave in with ill grace. Slipping Ino off his shoulder with one arm - an excessive show of strength, really, that had her eyes rolling for the macho display - he finally let her go. His fingers trailed over the curve of her waist in a too-familiar way as he finally set her on her feet. Embarrassed, Ino uncomfortably moved away. The blond turned without a word, stalking inside the hidden entrance, Tobi ducking after.

Ill-at-ease, Ino stood beside the two nin. Itachi was staring at her, his look hard. "Kisame, leave."

Kisame's forehead wrinkled, but he went with a casual shrug and a friendly nod to Ino before sauntering off into the forest. They were suddenly alone, and Ino fidgeted, avoiding Itachi's flat gaze, as she nervously tried to fill in the awful silence. "So that's your partner? What is he? Some kind of - "

"What were you thinking?"

"Huh?" She blinked, confused by his sharp demand. He took a step closer, and she unconsciously took a step back. His dark eyes pinned her with impatient disdain.

"It's obvious you were kissing him. Deidara." His voice was icy. "Are you really such a thoughtless twit? Or do you just like the idea of being an Akatsuki whore?"

Ino's mouth fell open. *_Whore?*_ It was so unexpected, it took her brain a minute to wrap around the unfair accusation. Who the hell did Itachi think he was, accusing her of something like that? Just because she'd just kissed Deidara - what the hell! Her eyes flashed, and her right hand instinctively twitched, wanting to slap him, hard.

He glanced down at her hand. "Don't even try it."

"How dare you!" she hissed, blue eyes glittering as her fingers curled into a fist. "You don't even know anything about me, and you dare accuse me of being...of being…" She couldn't even say it, the slur was so horrible. No one had ever said such a thing to her before.

The look Itachi gave her would have been pitying if his voice wasn't so cuttingly sarcastic. "And what else would anyone think? Except maybe you're a flirt and a tease? That you're such a _child_ that you would forget your mission so easily for a handsome face and a quick tumble in the bushes?"

"But...I...we…" Tears sprang to her eyes and Ino shook with anger at the injustice of his accusations.

"Are you really that stupid? Or truly that innocent?" He gave her a disgusted look. "These are _men,_ not boys. It would be foolish of you to try your little games on them. They will eat you alive."

Ino flinched, for a small, unwilling part of her had to admit there was some truth in his harsh words. It _had_ been a game between her and Deidara, at least, there at the end. A part of her had been curious and strangely excited by the whole challenge of it. She was even a little flattered that so handsome and dangerous a man as Deidara wanted to kiss _her_, and there was a delicious excitement, some tang of the forbidden, that added a certain spice to the intriguing thought. His casual manhandling had been strangely exciting, too, for there was really no one she had known who had ever stood up to her. Certainly not her father, or any of her friends. The casual way Deidara could dismiss her struggles was both scary as hell and secretly intriguing.

That admittance sat sour in her stomach, and Ino felt craven and silly and unworthy of Konoha's trust in her. She dropped her eyes, suddenly feeling like the child Itachi named her. Itachi didn't help, for he said icily, "Do you even know the danger in such games? For a kunoichi, your education is rather lacking."

Ino's head snapped up, the tears drying instantly as anger suffused her. She froze, though, at the bloody dance that spiraled in Itachi's unblinking gaze. For a moment, she unwillingly stared at the hypnotic dance of that swirling pattern, and then wrenched her eyes away, shaking her head as her temples pounded.

"That doesn't work on me, remember?" she snapped, her breath harsh in her ears as her heart sped up for some strange reason. The world seemed to sway, the edges blurring and dissolving to then reform, but that might have been only a symptom of her growing migraine.

A cool hand cupped her cheek and Ino shied in surprise. Itachi stared down at her, his voice dispassionate, his red eyes dispassionate for all the swirling dance within them. "Your father did you a grave disservice trying to protect you from the world."

Ino bristled and tried to jerk her chin free, but his grip tighened, his calloused thumb tilting her chin up as he bent his dark head over hers. Ino's breath drew in with a sharp hiss as Itachi's eyes dropped to her lips, the red depths heating slightly as the codas continued to spin idly. Her heart fluttered, and she was surprised by the sudden surge of heady excitement that had taunted her before when Deidara had paused just this way before capturing her mouth with his. Prickles danced across her skin, and she shivered at the recognition of it even as Itachi's mouth descended on hers.

His kiss was different from Deidara's. His mouth was hard, demanding, and brutally efficient. He did not waste effort on teasing a reaction from her. Instead, he drew it out by manipulating her reactions, easily sweeping aside her inhibitions and evoking a strange, restless hunger that left her reeling, even as she recognized in shock that it was the same, overwhelming reaction she had just had to Deidara. And then that thought was stolen, too, as his hot mouth worked over hers.

Tugging her bottom lip between his, he bit it sharply, evoking a startled gasp as the strange mix of pleasure-pain hit straight to her core, leaving little lightnings in its wake. Itachi's tongue lathed the spot, slipping deep inside her mouth, and Ino melted against him. Caught up in a whirlwind of raw sensation, he bent her head back under his, his hands tangling in her thick hair as her eyes fluttered closed. She moaned, a lost sound, and tried to crawl inside his heat, her body suddenly tight and aching with a need she could not name, only that it felt like the whole world had been taken over by a fierce hunger that left her lightheaded. Yet she felt so heavy, acutely aware of how her body was pressed to the solid strength of his, how her breasts felt full and aching and her limbs weak and oddly numb. He suckled her tongue into his mouth, and all thought slipped away as the world became complete sensation, a fire burning along her blood that she needed to...needed to...what, she didn't know, just that she had _need_, and it was beautiful and terrible and so utterly all-consuming, and -

And he drew back, and she was abruptly alone and abandoned as she blinked up in confusion and saw cold assessment in his too-black gaze. Realization washed over Ino with icy mortification, and she flinched away, horrified by how easily he had called up the same tumultuous reaction that Deidara had. The fact that Itachi _could, _and seemingly without being affected in any way, just made her feel all the more mortified, so weak and _stupid_, and his icy words just sent the kunai that much deeper inside her heart.

"You're not ready to play a man's game, Ino-chan." The casual endearment between friends was an insult from him. "What you felt was desire, something any base animal is capable of. Notice how easy it was for me to manipulate you, and merely with a kiss. Don't read anything into it - I was only teaching you a lesson, one you should already know."

"Damn you…" Ino whispered, hate and humiliation blurring her vision with angry tears she refused to let fall. He just stared down at her, as cold and uncaring as the marbled god he so resembled.

"Resent me if you must, Yamanaka-san. I just served you a harsh truth: playing with fire will only get you burned."

Burned she did, with shame for the silly fool she had just been made. She had just been taught a poignant lesson, one she wouldn't soon forget. Wrapping her arms around herself, her knuckles whitened as she dug her nails into her upper arms. Ino refused to look at him, and something flickered in his eyes, which had darkened once more into black obscurity. "Trust no one, Ino. Including yourself, for your innermost passions and emotions can easily be turned against you. Your only value lies in how the Akatsuki may use you. Remember that, little Leaf."

She loathed the endearment he spoke so mockingly. Itachi leaned close, and she refused to flinch away, though she stubbornly kept her eyes averted. His words curled inside her heart, making her go cold. "You once loved my brother, did you not? And where has that gotten you? You're weak, Ino. Too weak to survive Akatsuki. _Just like your teammates."_

Her heart stopped.

He relentlessly continued, the knife of his words twisting deeper. "They died, and you were too weak to save them. How tragic."

_"Shut up."_

He straightened, his cold voice dripping scorn. "You can be manipulated so easily, kunoichi. It's pathetic."

The anger was so intense she shook with it. Her eyes snapped to his, hard and glittering, and Itachi smiled slightly. He bowed his head, a brief nod of mocking acknowledgement for the burning fury in her gaze. Ino wanted to claw the mocking grin from his face, and struggled with the overwhelming urge to attack him, the cold-hearted bastard. She hated him at the moment, like she hadn't any one ever before.

Itachi only smiled, as if that was the reaction he had desired all along, the manipulative jerk. The realization suddenly dawned on her, in icy recognition, for she could and had manipulated others just as easily, if not for such a horrible reason as only to make them feel unworthy and small. Itachi had tried to break her with words, but he was stupid. She wasn't so easily broken, and she wouldn't give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing her give in to her rage. She would show him that she wasn't weak, that she could handle whatever the Akatsuki threw at her, and then he would rue this day.

Ino's head came up and she gave him a scornful glance. "Are you finished?"

He tested her, reaching a casual hand out to tuck a stray lock behind her ear. Ino stood her ground, her hard eyes never wavering from his as he baited softly, "For now, Yamanaka-san."

She refused to acknowledge the subtle double-meaning that laced the simple words.

Itachi gestured towards the hidden entrance, his manner suddenly courteously polite, as if they had never exchanged such horrible words. If he wanted to throw her off balance, he wouldn't succeed. "Shall we...?"

"After you," she said, icily polite. The anger was a cold knot inside of her, one she would keep close and turn to her own benefit. Ino suddenly understood what Kakuzu had meant when he said that anger was good, and could be of use.

Use it she would.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**Consequence**

_A/N: This is a hasty edit, but I wanted to get this chapter out before the New Year. I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews, especially Jan Lee, whose own writing always inspires (you totally made a KibaXIno fan out of me) and who had me completely revising the whole concept of this story. =P _

**Chapter Five**

It was just her luck to meet Hidan sauntering down the hall as Itachi escorted her back inside the underground base. Itachi nodded courteously, but the Jashinite only sneered. His amethyst eyes slid past the tall Uchiha to glare at Ino. Wrapped inside her icy anger, the kunoichi swept past with her chin held high, pointedly ignoring the stupid jerk until he taunted, "Looks like you just fucking got your ass kicked, bitch."

Rounding on him with a curled fist, Ino snarled when Hidan easily caught her wrist. He only grinned when her blue eyes narrowed, throwing his grey head back to laugh at her furious expression. His scornful laughter abruptly died when Ino pressed the sharp kunai hidden in her free palm along the inside of his thigh.

"That's _Princess_ Bitch to you, ass hole."

Incredulous, Hidan stared down at her as Itachi admonishedsharply, "Ino."

Tossing her head so that her long ponytail flipped over her shoulder, Ino jerked her wrist free from Hidan's loosened grip and slipped the kunai back inside her pouch. Ignoring Itachi's brooding look and Hidan's slow smile, the kunoichi strode down the hall. "I'm going to take a bath. And I'm sealing the door. Don't try to stop me."

Itachi said nothing. Hidan's silver brows rose, and Ino pointedly slammed the door shut on both of them. Leaning against it, she wearily dropped her head against the jam and let her shoulders slump. Damn all of them! They couldn't just leave her alone, not even for one damn minute! Her hand curled against the door above her, tightening into a fist as Ino grit her teeth. Well, this time at least, she was going to _make_ them. Pulling herself upright, Ino snatched a simple paper seal from her weapons pouch and slapped it across the thick wood, half on the door and half on the frame. "Katsu."

She relaxed as chakra glowed across the inked characters, turning them navy in the ghostly blue light before dying. The seal wasn't powerful enough to really stop anyone, but it would give them a good shock for their pains, and it did her good to use even that small bit of defiance. Let 'em wait while she took a good long soak to ease the bruises on her body. It wasn't as if she had asked for any of this, damn it!

Pulling off her sweaty rags, Ino slipped inside the tub, hissing as the steamy water stung the deeper scratches across her skin. It was uncomfortable at first, but she deliberately forced herself to relax, even as her mind spun in too many directions. She ruthlessly pushed her anger aside to focus on the mundane task of healing the deeper burns along her shoulder and thigh, scowling at the ugly bruise that blossomed along the inside of her other thigh and the outside of her right arm, by her elbow. She hadn't asked for those either, damn it, and she couldn't do much for the bruising besides heal the deeper tissues underneath. They turned a dark purple, sign that she had hastened the process, if not healed them completely. That would have to do for now.

Picking up the cheap soap, Ino scrubbed until her skin grew red, hoping to rid the taint of Itachi. Damn him, anyways! What right did he have to play with her like that? Sadistic creep. What the hell was her father thinking? There was no way she could trust a malicious, arrogant, sadistic, spinny-eyed bastard like _him!_

Her hand tightened on the soap, almost squeezing it in two. Staring down at her whitened knuckles, Ino deliberately breathed in and out. She had to be ruthlessly honest with herself. She wasn't strong enough - yet - to do anything about her anger, and sulking like a child over facts she couldn't change - _yet! - _wasn't going to do anything but needlessly waste her time and energy. Two could play the manipulation game, and even if the Hokage - through her father - had all but told her that she was to be Itachi's unwilling ally on this horrible mission, then she could at least use the Akatsuki for her own benefit, and train enough so that she wasn't so weak and stupid.

Ino's expression hardened, and she suddenly grew irritated with the steamy water. Pulling herself out, she took a quick shower, viciously using the last of the conditioner - let that arrogant jerk, Hidan, get tangles - and toweled herself dry, wrapping the pathetic excuse for a towel up over her wet hair to get the heavy weight off her neck. Dragging another robe off the wall and not caring whose the hell it was, Ino gathered her dirty clothes up under one arm and unsealed the door.

The hall was deserted. Remembering her own clothes were still in the washer, Ino made a side-trip to the laundry room to change them over. Dumping her ugly make-do outfit into the wash, she ignored the small mountain of dirty clothes lying on top. Let Akatsuki wash their own crap, damn it. Even if Deidara had said it was her job. She paused, fist tightening.

She went back and added more clothes to the washer.

ooOOOoo

Ino's growling stomach forced her to go looking for the kitchens after she went back to her so-called quarters to comb out her hair and swipe a hair-tie from Deidara. She assumed it was Deidara's, since Tobi's hair was too short to tie up. Neither were there for her to ask, and Ino was grateful for the reprieve. She would have preferred to stay in the room waiting for her clothes to dry, but her empty belly had other ideas.

Taking into consideration that the bathroom lay as far away as possible from the bedroom, she decided to hike in the opposite direction and go for the last door first. Aha! Pay dirt! Shaking her head, Ino scanned what appeared to be an eat-in kitchen, although the room was too large for the use it was put to. It could have housed a lot more tables than the plain picnic-table assembly that stood by its lonesome in the center, although a little closer to the open, three-sided kitchen area.

The kitchen was an odd mix of old rustic and modern make-do. An impressive fireplace big enough to roast an ox stood blackened with soot, a modern stove with a broken burner and two missing knobs inside of it. Counters had been cut straight from the stone, a deep basin with an impressive pile of dirty dishes heaped up, around, and spilling over its sides. Eying the pile with a sour look, Ino was relieved to see a modern faucet hidden behind the food-caked pile. At least she wouldn't have to hand-pump the water up from the old spout. Ignoring the mess, she grinned at the fridge. Leave it to the cheap-ass Akatsuki to have an olive-green refrigerator that had gone out of style long before her parents had even started dating. The motor rattled and Ino wondered if the door would fall off if she opened it too quickly.

It didn't, which was a relief. It also appeared the rubber-lining worked, for it hid the putrid stench that rose when she opened the door. Wrinkling her nose, Ino plucked an opened milk carton and held it out as far as she could. The contents _thumped, _rather than sloshed, and she nearly gagged at the thought of what was growing inside there. Forcibly shoving aside pots and pans and sticky-bottomed cups, she unplugged the drain and poured it down, sluicing the last of the white sludge with liberal amounts of water.

_*Ew. Ew. EW!*_ She shuddered, throwing the carton into a metal trashcan with a broken handle on its bent lid that Akatsuki had probably swiped from somebody's curb.

Eying the fridge, Ino wondered if she was really hungry enough for a second try. Her stomach growled, and she sighed.

Back she went, this time hauling the trash can with her. A plethora of jars and dishes and tupperware hit the metal can with dull thuds and distinct clangs. She wasn't even going to try and wash any of those. Not when they looked like green jello, and there was no lettuce in sight. Gross! Was that a block of cheese or some new form of compressed algae? And since when did orange juice look _brown?_ Ino didn't even bother trying to wash that down the sink. And what the hell was that red-brown splash across the bottom shelf? Ugh. She didn't even want to know.

Opening the freezer, which was so caked with ice there was barely any room, Ino eyed the dead fish who stared back at her, mouth open in perpetual surprise. That was just...beyond words.

Slamming the freezer door shut, Ino went looking for something canned and hopefully not expired. Shoving the door on the far side of the kitchen open, she blinked as the bare bulb came on, highlighting a pantry stocked like a bomb shelter. Crates stood on the floor, cans, jars, and boxes mixed indiscriminately along the shelves. The ones at the back were covered in a thick layer of dust, and Ino shuddered as she saw a spider scurry away from the light. Man, she hated spiders.

Shrugging, she plucked the nearest soup can off the shelf, and turned it upside down to scan the date. Although chicken and stars wasn't her favorite, whatever. At least it was still edible. Flipping off the light and closing the door, she hunted down a bowl and rusty can-opener. The microwave smelled like burnt popcorn and had a yellow tinge to the inside that made Ino shudder, but she was hungry enough not to care. She'd nuke it hot enough to boil any bad bacteria off, right?

She found a sorry excuse for a dirty dishtowel to use as an oven-mitt and hauled the steaming bowl over to the picnic table. Sitting down, Ino got a splinter in her ass from the cheap wooden bench. Yeow! Digging it out was awkward, and that was, of course, when Tobi appeared.

Popping his head around the door, he stared at her in surprise. Or what she assumed was surprise, since she couldn't see anything behind the damn pumpkin he hid his face behind.

"Hime-sama?" He scuttled inside as Ino dropped her hem, face on fire. Stalking back to the trash can, she flicked the stupid splinter away and slammed the lid down.

"It's nothing," she said, and used the raggedy dish towel to cushion her seat and spare her any more embarrassment. Tucking her knees under her primly, Ino picked up her (not too dirty) spoon and played with the soup for distraction, waiting for it to cool enough for her to eat.

"Oooh...chicken and stars!" Tobi clapped his hands. "Tobi_ loves _chicken and stars! Can I have some, Hime-sama, _please?"_

Putting her spoon down, Ino looked at him. Really looked at him. He couldn't be for real, he just couldn't.

"Pretty please?" he beseeched her, hands now clasped in front of him, all but trembling with eagerness.

He was completely insane. Not that that was anything new in this nuthouse.

"Pretty, pretty please with sugar on top?"

"All _right." _Ino grudgingly gave in. "Just stop with the pleas, please."

Tobi laughed at the rhyme, and danced and cavorted like a simpleton as she hauled a second can from the pantry, blew dust off a bowl, nuked it hot and slapped it on the table. Lifting his mask just the barest amount possible, Tobi blew on it as she peered curiously at him, wondering what he looked like under there. But she was distracted as Hidan slammed the door open, stalking inside to glare at them.

"Hidan-san!" Tobi greeted, waving his spoon in delight.

"Chicken and stars? You fucking gotta be kidding me."

Ino deliberately spooned up a serving, pointedly ignoring him.

"Soup good!" Tobi ingeniously exclaimed.

Muttering under his breath, Hidan stalked to the fridge and yanked it open. Staring at the empty shelves, he demanded, "What the hell? What happened to all the fucking beer?"

"Oops." Ino pretended chagrin, though her eyes glittered maliciously as she pointed to the trash can. "My bad."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Slamming the door closed, Hidan snarled and bitched all the way to the pantry to haul out a six-pack and another can of soup. Ino hid her smirk behind her spoon as Hidan glared at the microwave, opening a can of cheap beer and blindly tossing the tab over his shoulder. It pinged right inside the trash can, bouncing off the metal side as he impatiently sucked the beer down and crushed the empty can before his soup had even finished cooking.

Hauling the rest of the six-pack with him, the Jashinite made a great deal of noise settling himself as far as possible on the other side of the table away from them. Snicking another beer open, Hidan slurped his soup and glared when Tobi started chattering about nothing in particular as he played with his soup and Ino ate hers quietly.

It seemed Akatsuki had a flare for dramatic entrances, for the next to arrive was a thoroughly pissed off Deidara. Ino's eyes widened as he slammed the door open, stalking past them without a word. Fresh from a shower, he wore only a faded pair of sweatpants and a towel draped around his neck. Although the chiseled lines of his arms and chest were enough to draw any girl's attention, it wasn't that which had caught Ino's eye, but the wild frizzball his hair had become.

_"Somebody _used up all the conditioner, un," he growled ominously, the look in his blue eyes murderous.

Hidan sniggered as Ino blushed, avoiding the blond man's gaze. He really did have a scary Glare of Death.

"Ooooh, Hime-sama! Naughty-naughty!" Tobi waved a finger at her and then laughed hysterically.

Ino jerked her chin up. _"Somebody _needs to go buy more. And not some cheap crap from the dollar store this time!"

Hidan suddenly brightened as an Idea abruptly occurred to him. "You know, I wonder if old stringy-butt will fork over the cash if Miss Bitch were to ask him. By Jashin, it just might work!" Hopeful avarice flared in the purple eyes, and he suddenly propped his chin on his hand, his smile silky. "Look, you, girl - "

"The name's Ino," she growled.

"Whatever. Look, princess, there's all kinds of crap a girl needs, right? To make herself all pretty and shit? Like, I dunno, curlers and green face-goo. That kind of shit. And Kakuzu's supposed to be your mentor, right? And his tight ass holds the purse-strings. But maybe if you were to bat those long eyelashes at him a few times, you could get the fucking tightwad to loosen 'em up a bit. And there's a few things _I_ could use…"

"Like hair gel?" Ino asked brightly. Deidara snickered at the sarcasm, reaching for a can of beer and making a face as he took a warm sip. He stared down at the table, brows knitting.

"Chicken and stars? It's what's for dinner? What the hell, un?"

Ino felt a headache coming on as, right on cue, Tobi exclaimed, "Soup good, senpai!"

ooOOOoo

"I am _not_ sharing a bed with you."

Tobi was right. The girl had an impressive Glare of Death. Though it was ruined by the silky white-gold hair curling softly around her face and the heightened pink tinge to her cheeks.

Propping a hip against the side of the desk, Deidara folded his arms and smirked. "Either that, or Tobi."

"Ooh, ooh! Pick me, Hime-sama, pick me!" Tobi frantically waved his hand for attention. Ino stared at him in horror as the tall man picked up his pillow and hugged it tight in gleeful contemplation.

"Your choice, princess."

Deidara grinned as she whipped around and stomped over to his bed. She'd already tried arguing about making a bed on the floor, and he'd shot that down with the lie that Tobi had to go to the bathroom - a lot - during the night. He owed Tobi; the idiot had actually backed him up on it, even nodding solemnly as the girl scowled.

She laid down - stiff as a board and pointedly facing the wall. She even stole his blanket and pillow, wrapping herself up like a sausage. Amused, Deidara shook his head as Tobi's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Hauling his blanket over his head, the idiot mumbled to himself as Deidara turned off the light, casting the room in darkness.

Groping for the blanket, Deidara gave it a good yank. Ino yelped as she rolled free, right into his arms. "Only one, yeah. Gotta share, un," he whispered into her silky hair as she made a gurgling noise in protest, going stiff as a piece of wood as his bulk and the narrowness of the twin mattress forced them closer together. The wall came in handy to keep her plastered against him. Wrapping himself securely around her, Deidara indulgently nuzzled the side of her neck, and idly thought that this more than made up for frizzy hair.

ooOOOoo

Considering Itachi's rather snarky remarks about her being an Akatsuki whore, Ino was acutely disgruntled by the way she woke up sprawled across Deidara. Especially with Tobi looking at her so avidly from barely six inches away as he knelt beside the bed, head propped up on his crossed arms and tilted to the side like an inquisitive bird's. Deidara mumbled petulantly in his sleep even as Ino blinked blearily over at the pumpkin. Something stiff bumped her inner thigh as the artist shifted slightly beneath her.

Ino's eyes bulged as knowledge swept over her with the hot fire of embarrassment. Tobi fell over on the floor with mad peals of delight as she shot out of the bed and across the room.

"What the hell...?" Deidara sat up, fisting sleep from his eyes and looking like a frazzled cat as he blinked owlishly, staring down at an insanely cackling Tobi rolling around on the floor and a mortified Ino by the door.

"Gotta pee," she muttered the first thing that would keep the nin from following and fled to the bathroom. Splashing cold water over her face, Ino stared at herself in the mirror and wondered despairingly just what the hell was wrong with her. Maybe Itachi was right.

As _if! _She hadn't asked for any of this, damn it. So she wouldn't beat herself up for finding herself in situations she couldn't help and had no damn control over. She wouldn't! And old Stiff Ass Uchiha could take that and shove it up his -

The rap on the door wasn't unexpected, but the tentative, "Hime-sama?" was. Scowling, Ino opened the door.

_"What!"_

"Um, Tobi sorry, very sorry, Hime-sama. He'd like to make up for spooking you." He suddenly dropped the apologetic air to quiver in excitement. "By going _shopping!"_

"Huh?"

Okay, so that wasn't the most brilliant response, but it took several more of those before Ino finally understood that somehow, some way, Tobi had gotten permission to take her shopping in what amounted to the local village. And, incredibly, they were going alone, without any of the others to help or hinder what amounted to a major supply run. Tobi produced a big purse that clinked promisingly and a long list in various sprawled requests (or demands, in Hidan's case.) It took Ino two minutes flat to don her now-dried purple uniform and tie her hair up in its usual ponytail. The thought of having clean underwear to wear was almost as heady as getting her hands on some decent HBA. She even took the ugly, plain black cloak Tobi brought her with a minimum of resignation, so eager was she to escape this dump and get back among decent people.

"Promise, Hime-sama?" Tobi whispered, suddenly serious as they paused in front of the hidden exit. "Promise Tobi you will be good?"

The plea was so odd Ino turned to look at him, brows furrowed in surprise. Though the thought _had_ occurred to her, even if she'd made promises to the contrary.

Tobi clasped his hands in front of him, his trembling not from excitement, but from fear. "Tobi scared, Hime-sama. They hurt Tobi if he messes up. They hurt Tobi _bad."_

That last was said with such choking emphasis, Ino couldn't help but feel sorry for the strange man standing so earnestly beside her. It had never occurred to her that maybe someone else in this organized nuthouse was being held against their will. She wondered what hold Akatsuki had on the poor man, and her expression softened. "I promise," she said quietly. "I won't get you into trouble, Tobi-san."

"Thank you, Hime-sama! Tobi thanks you_ so much!" _Ino was suddenly enveloped in a hug that threatened to crack her ribs in two. She felt faintly sick as she was whirled around and around in Tobi's overwhelming gratitude. She almost regretted her altruism when he finally put her down and patted her on the head, calling her a good girl.

But Tobi wasn't so bad, really, even if he still made her gut twist with uneasiness. Maybe it was because he seemed so...childlike. Innocent, almost, even though there were other times, when he said something off-hand and malicious, that were just so _creepy_. The way he skipped and cavorted alongside her, chattering about anything that popped into his head - including several stinging remarks about how she'd sprawled all over Deidara that morning, or how she had nice boobs, and could run _really_ fast, especially when Deidara's bombs were chasing her - well, that left Ino's mind in such turmoil that she only realized that they had come to the edge of the village when Tobi finally shut up.

Hitowas a strange mix of the practical and the dubious. There were too many bars and pawn shops, too many seedy characters and "houses of ill repute," as Sakura would facetiously say. Ino stared at them in frank curiosity, but no women in lascivious undress lounged across the narrow balconies so early in the morning. In fact, there weren't too many people about. The few who were kept to themselves, carefully averting their eyes and giving them a wide berth, as if afraid of the goofy man at her side. Perhaps it was the distinctive cloud pattern on his cloak. Living this close to an Akatsuki base, the villagers probably knew full well what that cloak signified. There must be some sort of arrangement with the criminal organization, however, for no one in Konoha had ever heard a whisper about the base or its whereabouts. That spoke of a trust Ino found suspicious.

But then, Hito showed no particular economic reason for its existence, past the pawnbrokers and the obvious dens of vice. The whole town seemed to exist for the sole purpose of trade. While they couldn't get everything on Tobi's extensive list, there were ready promises of easy procurement within the week. Ino didn't even want to know what questionable means those merchants had to fulfill their various orders - which ran the gamut from the odd crate of canned peaches, to some rare whiskey, to an eye-boggling amount of toilet paper. Ino started enjoying herself, once Tobi assured her that money was no object. Although even he started to look a little worried as she gleefully strode through the shops, ordering decent linens and expensive products. Getting back at the Akatsuki, if only in the wallet, added a certain zest to the experience.

One that turned positively euphoric as she found a real dress shop, an unexpected bonus in this dump. But the "ladies of the night" had to spend their money _somewhere, _and the crafty little shopkeep carried everything imaginable in lace and silk and feminine frippery. While nothing was as practical as she could actually use, Ino got an illicit thrill from buying underwear her father would have had a fit over. But the only other store to sell clothing - a general mercantile - didn't have anything in her size past a few boys t-shirts and sweatpants. While this store had a fluffy pink bathrobe that almost made up for the blue one she'd left at home with the cute yellow ducky on the back. And while she _definitely_ couldn't use any of those naughty nightgowns, Ino found a pretty yellow strapless number just made for her. The sundress was so light and airy she couldn't resist doing an impromptu twirl in front of the mirror as she admired herself. Who knew yellow would look so good on her?

Even better than the designer label was the outrageous price tag. _*Take that, you jerks!*_ she thought evilly as she calculated how much that would dig into the odious organization's bank account.

"Oooh, Hime-sama! Wait until the guys see you all sexy in that get-up!" Tobi ingenuously cooed, and Ino preened, always willing to take a compliment.

But she flushed when the tall man added thoughtfully, head tilted to one side and chin propped on one finger, "Especially Itachi-san. Yes?"

For a moment, Ino stared in the mirror, calculating what reaction the Uchiha might have to the leg-bearing, curve-hugging dress. But then, angry at the direction of her foolish thoughts, Ino scowled. She didn't give one _fig_ how Itachi - or any of those other lowlifes - saw her. She was stupid to even contemplate for one single second what that cold, asexual bastard thought, or what that crazy bomb-freak found hot. Next, she'd be trying to snag that jerk Hidan, or worse - figuring out a way to tie Kakuzu's stringy butt in knots.

Never, she vowed, in a million years! Still, in the end, she bought the dress. Only to hurt the Akatsuki's pocketbook, of course.

_*Great. Now I'm lying, even to myself.* _Ino shook her head, even as she patted the bag at her side covetously. She did have a certain weakness for pretty things.

Almost as much a weakness as Tobi had for dango. Which he excitedly reminded her, making a beeline for the yatai that sold the tasty treat. Lunch was a short stop for Tobi to make considerable inroads into the stall's dango supply, gathering up several bags' worth to take home with him. The sun had finally come out to burn the ever-present humidity into a sauna, and Ino was more than ready to leave. Lugging several bags across several miles back to the underground base through the steamy heat sucked. It took much of the enjoyment out of the morning for her, though Tobi was barely able to see with all the things she'd piled atop him.

He took it well. Better than Shikamaru or Chouji ever had. Less complaining, certainly. The thought brought a sudden pang, and perhaps that was why Ino didn't see the lightning bolt coming straight for her out of the deepest forest. She barely had any time to drop her bags and dodge it. Adding chakra to her pumping legs, Ino leapt for the nearest tree, shouting out a warning to Tobi and scanning the forest below for who - or what - had attacked them.

_*Kakuzu?*_

She almost stopped dead in astonishment, but the power building inside the formidable ninja was too blatant to miss. He'd attacked her once before with that powerful seihitsu ninjutsu. Ino didn't know why he was attacking her now, but from the eerie green glow in his ghoulish gaze, she knew he was in deadly earnest.

"Kakuzu-san!" Tobi squealed, trying to throw himself in front of the man, who radiated cold fury as his chakra built to an ominous cloud around him.

"You're late," he said flatly, eyes on Ino, who stood panting in the tree above him. Her blue eyes widened at the menacing glint in his. She shied, blindly tossing several kunai in his direction even as the powerful blast hit the sturdy tree beneath her, cracking the thick trunk in half. Ino leapt for the next tree even as a third blast rocked the forest, sending several birds screeching into the air.

She wasn't stupid enough to stay on Tree Number Two, but was already scrambling along the nearest limb, jumping free just as it swayed and toppled beneath her feet. She twisted, using chakra to extend her leap to the sturdy pine two more away even as she heard Kakuzu's blind fury blasting through one tree after another. They fell like so many match sticks, the ground shuddering as each towering giant crashed to the earth far below.

Heart in her mouth, Ino frantically searched for anything she might use to her advantage even as she raced in a widening arc, hoping to surprise the crazy bastard by circling back behind him. Her mind worked furiously even as her hands did a complicated dance, releasing an elusion jutsu to send various leaves swirling up behind her, covering her position and hopefully spoiling his aim.

Pulling senbon from her weapons pouch, Ino used the churning confusion of the scattered leaves to quickly fold several explosive tags around them. If she could get close enough to Kakuzu, she just might -

A powerful gust of wind swept the swirling curtain of leaves aside, and Ino froze as Kakuzu casually took aim. She jumped - but it was already too late. Pain exploded throughout every part of her body as pure lightning hit her square in the chest. The searing heat was followed by a wave of raw agony as every nerve was razed by fire. Ino ruthlessly pushed the pain aside to focus on gathering her chakra. She had only one chance to save herself, and that was -

Precisely when Kakuzu's second blast hit her.

Ino screamed, and kept screaming as her body curled into a fetal position around the pain, muscles spasming helplessly as electricity cracked through every single nerve, burning the chakra paths even as she desperately tried to protect her vitals from the worst effects of Kakuzu's powerful strike. For a second, the world seemed to stand still as Ino _reached_ for that energy - grasped it, slippery as a snake, and then lost it again as a third Chidori flung her aside like a rag doll. She sobbed, wracked by the utter torture of it, and blindly grabbed for the source of that agony, pushing it up and then _out_ -

And screamed harder as her body exploded, arms and legs flung wide as the blast erupted out of her in crackling lines of raw force, igniting the various trees around her even as the darkness rushed up to suck her underneath its muffling weight.

ooOOOoo

"What the fuck you do that for?"

Hidan wasn't big on beating around the bush. He glared at his erstwhile partner, who ignored the crumpled body lying face down on the ground to stare back at him.

"She's a conduit," Kakuzu said, calmlywatching as Tobi fell on his knees beside the unconscious girl, tearing at his hair and making an awful racket as he wailed, "Hime-sama! Oh, Hime-sama!"

"A what?" Hidan glared at the impassive Falls-nin.

"A conduit for natural elements, you brainless dolt." Kakuzu scowled at Tobi. "Stop that."

"But, _Hime-sama...!"_

"She's fine," Kakuzu growled, and Tobi paused, taken aback. He poked the unconscious girl, who didn't stir.

Thankful for the sudden reprieve, Hidan glared at Kakuzu as they both started forward. "How do you know she's a what-the-fuck's-it's, a conduit?"

Kakuzu stared down at the girl sprawled at their feet. "That blast was strong. She should have died."

"And...?" Hidan couldn't keep the impatience out of his voice.

Kakuzu shrugged. "She didn't."

Hidan stared at the Falls-nin for a few seconds, and then, throwing his head back, burst out laughing. "What a complete ass hole you are, Kakuzu! You didn't fucking know whether or not she'd survive, did you? You were just trying out your own little experiment."

"So?" Kakuzu stared back at the incredulous Jashinite, hardly put out by the truth.

"Kakuzu-san!" Tobi protested, though he seemed to take a particular delight in the brute's audacity.

Kakuzu shrugged. "It worked."

Bending down, the big nin negligently picked the girl up and flung her over his wide shoulder before striding back to the base, leaving the other two Akatsuki behind.

"That is one cold ass bastard," Hidan muttered to himself, staring after the ghoulish scarecrow.

"Yep," Tobi agreed, and then giggled.

Hidan stared at the tall beanpole, now doubled-up with mirth as he chanted, "But it _worked…!"_

Shaking his grey head, Hidan noted sourly as he turned away, "You're one sick fuck, Tobi."

ooOOOoo

"What the hell, un?"

Deidara sailed in right on cue, ready to lay into the unrepentant Falls-nin, who returned his angry glare with placid indifference.

"Tobi said you just tried to kill Ino for a freaking experiment, yeah!"

"Yeah. So?" Kakuzu returned the terrorist's snarl with belligerence.

"So, you're fricking telling me you did it _deliberately?" _The loathing was surprising, coming from so callous a source. Pein considered the young Stone-nin thoughtfully; a rather surprising development from the normally self-absorbed artist. Feeling the silver eyes on him, Deidara turned, the demand for an explanation burning in his hard gaze.

"Calm yourself, Deidara. Kakuzu only did what he felt necessary - "

"You're defending him?" Deidara demanded, incredulous.

"Kakuzu has established that Yamanaka is a conduit," Pein said, adding weight to the silent reprimand behind his words. "Although he did so in a rather - expeditious - manner, he has proven beyond a doubt her unique ability."

Hardly pacified, Deidara started to speak, but Pein quickly cut him off.

"Do you know how rare conduits are?" His silver eyes glowed with sudden avarice. "One in a thousand, Deidara-san, have the ability, and most die before they even reach puberty, for they cannot contain the elemental overload they will all eventually suffer. Except, in the Yamanaka's case, she naturally has _perfect_ elemental balance. No affinity for any single element, and yet no ability to control all the elements - like Kakuzu has trained himself to do. But what most would consider a sad waste of talent allows Ino to not only use her innate kekkai genkai, which requires total concentration, but gives us a powerful weapon in our arsenal."

Deidara sneered, but folded his arms as Pein held up a hand to forestall his next protest.

"Through her, any elemental ninjutsu is magnified ten-fold."

Deidara's eyes widened, and Pein smiled. With his lazy, indolent attitude and brash arrogance, many forgot how intelligent the passionate artist really was. But Pein's faith in the terrorist was demonstrated by how quickly Deidara grasped the significance of Ino's surprising new ability. Her usefulness to the Akatsuki had just tripled. While handy as a telepath for screening the eventual army Pein hoped to build once all the Jinchuuriki were captured - and not discounting her eventual usefulness as a fully-trained jounin - this new ability far outweighed the others.

Magnifying seihitsu ninjutsu, or elemental jutsu, a conduit - while not able to control the power themselves - allowed another to use them to direct the energy in whatever way needed. A three-fold attack like Kakuzu's Chidori should have killed the kunoichi, and nearly had, as she'd barely deflected it, absorbing half the blast before her instincts could kick in to save her. How the Falls-nin had deduced that that was what the girl was capable of was beyond Pein, but Kakuzu had taken what he felt was a necessary gamble, and Pein - although not partial to the Falls-nin's methods - would not question the results.

"She needs to learn control," Kakuzu growled, "and stamina. As she is now, she'd only be good for one sizeable attack before she'd burn out in the backlash."

"She already suffered burn out," Diedara reminded waspishly.

"She'll recover. Eventually." Kakuzu shrugged, hardly concerned, and met Deidara's loathing with scathing disdain. "You seem to care a little too much about our little bird, Deidara-_san."_

The honorific was a deliberate provocation, and Pein cleared his throat as the young artist bristled.

"Your reminder of the Yamanaka's condition reminds me that she will bear close watching over the next twenty-four hours. Regardless of her innate abilities to conduct chakra, Ino's lack of true control over it and the magnitude of Kakuzu's elemental attack has left her nerve-centers temporarily overloaded. Until they recover, she will be in some pain." There was a certain smug relish to the Leader's voice that had Deidara stiffening in silent anger. Those glowing silver eyes missed nothing, including the artist's revulsion.

"As she is your ward, Deidara-san, I volunteer you for the duty." Pein hid his smile at Deidara's glare, knowing the arrogant artist did not consider playing nursemaid a mission worthy of his abilities.

Kakuzu pulled out a small jar. Scanning the label, he grunted.

"What's that, un?" the younger man demanded, scowling.

"Numbs the pain," the Falls-nin said, deliberately adding, "She'll need it."

ooOOOoo

This time, the pain was intense. Not just a raw burn tingling along the chakra paths of her body, but a searing agony that throbbed in time with her heartbeat, sending waves of nausea throughout her body as she writhed beneath the consuming torture. She wanted to crawl out of her skin, which tingled with such crawling, overly-sensitive sensations even the lightest touch had her silently crying out. No sound emerged, for she tried to choke it back, not truly aware of where she was but knowing somehow she couldn't, _wouldn't_, show such weakness. Tears seeped from beneath her tightly closed lids, an unconscious trickle as she bit her lips until they bled, gritting her teeth to keep the terrible whimpers at bay.

"She looks baaad, Kakuzu-san." A worried lilt made her want to laugh hysterically even as she instinctively flinched away from the hand that touched her shoulder. Even that light touch _burned_, scorching across her over-sensitive skin.

"Shut up, yeah."

The voices dissolved into the familiar argument as she finally succumbed to the darkness as the pain rose up in too terrible a tide to keep back. The darkness she drowned in was soothing, as was a touch she found unfamiliar. Someone drew circles across her skin, and where they touched, she grew blessedly numb. The throbbing pain of raw nerves withdrew to a dull ache, and she blearily opened her eyes. A dark, hulking shadow crouched over her, his tanned skin dulled to stale coffee in the dim light as he idly lathered her skin. A tall man watched over his shoulder, his gaze intent. His long, blond hair, messily falling from its ponytail, was too dark a gold for her father's, but again, maybe it was the dim light, which cast long shadows around them.

"Daddy?" she asked in a small, wondering voice, hating the childish plea in it.

"No." The voice was deep, rich, and not the blond man's, who grimaced.

Surprisingly beautiful, leaf-green eyes met hers with calm measure, and she couldn't help the acute sense of profound disappointment. She didn't recognize this man. Who was he? Why was he staring at her so intently? And more importantly, "Why am I naked?"

There was no alarm in her voice, just vague curiosity. Somehow, the numbing cream the man was smearing into her skin was numbing her brain, for she floated above such small considerations as modesty.

"How do you feel?" His deep voice was surprisingly hesitant, as if it startled him to even want to ask.

"Sleepy," she murmured truthfully, and his wry chuckle - he had a deep, sexy chuckle - followed her as she slipped beneath the darkness once more.

ooOOOoo

"What did you do to her?"

"Wasn't me, hmm. Talk to that ass hole, Kakuzu."

"I intend to." The voice was so icy, it made her shiver involuntarily. There was a pause, than a cold command. "Don't touch her."

"Ha. You're too late, un."

The other's sharp response was lost to her, but she wondered what had the man so angry. It was a cold anger, one that festered inside, ruthlessly controlled so that none of the emotion showed on his perfect face. Unlike the angry heat of the other man, the one with the messy blond hair. Emotions that had seemed so far away before were now too close - her mental barriers were down, and she could _feel_ their rising antagonism as they glared at one another. Their words she could not comprehend, but she futilely tried to protest the rising scald of their charged emotions, her mind too sensitive to the overflow after bearing so much already.

She opened her eyes, and saw dark and light. Yin and yang. Midnight and sunlight. She made a sound, and the darkness turned. She recognized those drawn features, those cold eyes. So tired, he was. He had so many burdens. On his soul, and on his shoulders. He felt the weight too keenly, even though it was one he accepted and even welcomed. The question in her eyes made him blink, and a strange expression tightened his features.

"Great going, Itachi. You woke her up, hmm." The bite in the other man's voice made her glance over at him, and she smiled softly, remembering how he had taken the pain away, soothing something into her bare skin.

Or was that another, whose eyes had reminded her of the first touch of spring in leaves just budding against winter's withdrawn chill? His touch had been so careful, as if afraid of hurting her. But he was gone, and maybe she was mistaken, for the blond was still here when that other was not, and her memories were clouded. _His_ eyes, blue and intent, dominated recollection, and she wondered how the golden man could keep such turmoil within him. Turmoil she could acutely feel - anger and bitterness, smug pride and distaste, a touching concern he tried to hide and ignore because he found it so completely baffling.

"It's okay," she tried to reassure him, but she didn't think he could hear her, for she couldn't hear herself. Then a touch on her cheek, a light inquiry, and she stared up into blood-red eyes that lightly patterned into hazy kaleidoscopes.

"You would resort to that shit, yeah."

The man with the red eyes ignored him. "Ino," he said, his voice oddly soothing to her fevered brain. "You're too telepathically sensitive. You need to reset your shields."

She had no clue what he was talking about. "Okay," she said, just to reassure him. He needed so much reassurance. All of them did. She didn't know why; they seemed so strong to her. How strange...

_*Ino,* _he said into her mind, and she smiled tremulously, for she knew that touch. Knew it like she knew her father's.

_*Daddy?* _she said in surprise, caught by the bemusing thought, and there was a sudden, wry resignation as the image dissolved into that of her father in all his handsome strength. Inoichi was everything to her, she so young and he so big he filled her entire world. She gladly fell into his embrace, and cried as he lightly swept his fingers through her hair. Strange how long it was, though, when normally she kept it so short...

But that thought dissolved away, as she sought reassurance of her own, and huddled inside her father's strong arms, so lost for a time. Snuggling into his hard chest, she felt safe, protected. She raised her head, and for a brief second, she saw another's face superimposed over her father's. She blinked - he seemed so drawn and detached, but there was a strange emotion in his red eyes that she couldn't read. And he was crying blood, real blood that made tracks down his drawn cheeks, and she touched it in wonder. The blood beaded on the tip of her finger, and she stared at it in surprise.

_*But you shouldn't cry,*_ she said, troubled, and he smiled sardonically.

_*But there is so much to cry about,* _was his strange answer. _*So much death...*_

Yes, death clung to him like the stench of rotting corpses. He could drown in the blood he had spilled for his village, in the destruction of all he had once held dear.

She mutely shook her head, defying the aching emptiness of regret that yawned before him.

_*You can't live in the past...*_

_*That is the time I always live,* _he said, and then suddenly seemed to realize that they were actually having the conversation. He stiffened, and his expression grew cold and almost angry. She didn't like how abruptly he withdrew, and curled in on herself, away from the rejection that stung so keenly. Their sharing had been so intense; its absence was painful. She cried then, and refused to stop when he lightly shook her shoulder, trying to coax her back around. She deliberately fled from him then, back into her own mind. For a minute, before the numbing darkness of true sleep overtook her, she wondered why it was that her pillow stuck so to her hot cheek, and why it was she suddenly felt so horribly lost and alone...


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**Consequence**

_A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. I've had this chapter written for quite a while, but wasn't sure if I liked the direction. But anything else I wrote didn't seem _"right," _so here 'tis in all its…um…yeah. Warning, the rating on this story is going up to "M" for content, and that there will be future…um…yeah. =P _

_**Chapter Six**_

He was hardly repentant.

"You tried to kill me."

Unmoved by the censure in her blue eyes, he said, "You need more work. You're so weak it's pathetic."

That particular goad had always worked best on her. Bristling, Ino's eyes glittered like icechips. "Then tell me how to become stronger."

"I just showed you."

"How? By nearly killing me?"

Kakuzu folded his arms across his wide chest and smiled sweetly. It was grotesque with those jagged threads that ran from his lips and up along the curve of his jaw.

It dawned on her, then, that that was exactly what he'd intended. "You guys are sick," she spat.

"I won't be, after you realign the connection between my five hearts."

He couldn't possibly think that she was just tamely going to Mystic Palm his stringy ass after that! But catching the look in Kakuzu's stoic green gaze, Ino curled her fists and gave in to the inevitable with bad grace. Some time later, she emerged rather lethargic and dizzy.

"Your concentration is total. It will mean your survival." Kakuzu's deep voice dripped smug satisfaction. He pinned her with a hard look. "But you lack stamina, and that you will learn - or die."

_*Not by _you, _scarecrow,*_ Ino mentally snarled.

"Anger is good, princess," Kakuzu said. What a truly horrific smile he had. "Use it."

Use it she did, for her stamina training began immediately. Already exhausted from her previous use of medical ninjutsu, Ino had to probe depths she had never tried before to drag the energy to her. Emotions brought it out - anger and sheer stubborn pride. Disgust over Kakuzu's callous use of a chakra control she longed for just so she could wipe that smug smirk off of his hated face.

The exercises were simple - build a wall or force-field around herself to stave off the big Falls-nin's push of energy. But it went on for _hours_, and Ino had to focus so hard that eventually she forgot how her muscles twitched and then went numb, how the sweat beaded down her body in itchy discomfort, how even her synapses burned with overexertion. When she failed, and she did, Kakuzu's chakra literally snapped out to burn lines into her skin like lashes of a whip, and she held back the threatened cries with sheer tenacity and lips bitten until they bled. Then Kakuzu's simple command of, "Again," would start the whole process over, and she would gather her dwindling strength to meet him head on, throwing all she had and unwilling, as ever, to surrender.

ooOOOoo

Surrender, she finally did, to the inevitable. Just as he knew she would. Kakuzu felt when the kunoichi's defensive shield abruptly faded even as she crumpled to the floor in a dead faint. Diverting the lash of his chakra-whip, the Falls-nin released the energy into the deafening silence as he stared down at the girl.

Stubborn wench. He grudgingly had to give it to her; she'd lasted longer than he had anticipated. It was pride, and pure, stubborn will that had kept her on her feet long past when she should've succumbed.

The large nin smiled. In some ways, the little leaflet was so easy to read, so easy to predict. A simple child, really, who saw too much in black and white, believed too much in right and wrong. Such foolish delusions. He'd had that faith himself once. Before life had taught him better.

Kakuzu's smile faded. She, too, would learn. Or die.

Which would be a shame, really. All that raw potential, gone to waste. Kakuzu told himself that, even as his eyes rove the lithe curves sprawled at his feet. Hell, he was a man, after all, and not unaware of the kunoichi's's charms. A beautiful face, a young form - many gave excuse to their darkest deeds, claiming they were driven to them by envy, greed, or a love twisted by lust. Such feelings - they were only a pithy excuse for the darker emotions truly felt.

But beauty could be warped, torn, turned so easily into bitterness and loathing, so that a person could hate what they saw, what they had become, in the mirror. Raising a hand, Kakuzu absently touched his scarred cheek. He flinched away from the dark memories trying to resurface, and dropped his hand, disgusted.

He had wrestled those demons long ago. This girl, she would either learn to do the same, or lose herself as earnestness turned to cynicism. But surprisingly, Kakuzu couldn't predict which. Often, he could intuit what others would do from analyzing their behaviors - add what they had done, subtract what they would not, and conclude, on cold, hard facts alone, what they would do next.

Kakuzu liked facts. Like numbers, they were clean, cold, constant. Unlike humans, who were so unpredictable, even to themselves. Just as _she_ was unpredictable. A part of him despised her for it, another envied. Envied that she could still feel so keenly when he had lost that - had it stolen from him, actually, when he was still too small to protest.

He was not the sad, hungry street-rat he'd been. Gone was the hunger, the desperation, of a child left alone and unwanted, so starved for attention he grasped at anything, even the lascivious attentions paid him for his pretty face, his young body. Using that body to climb from the back streets of the dank hole he'd crawled out of, he'd eventually had that stolen from him as well, learning the harsh lesson that even a pretty face couldn't protect you from those who despised you even as they used you to satisfy their unnatural lusts with pain and punishment.

And when his pretty face was gone, scarred by the seething jealousy of a cruel lover, he had used the coin of knowledge to protect himself. Taught early that money was the only thing to keep you safe, Kakuzu had turned his body - once sought so eagerly - into a weapon. His own weapon, to use as he saw fit, and not at another's behest.

He could teach her that. Beauty was its own weapon, in a way. She already manipulated others with that angelic face, even if she knew it not. Look how she affected Deidara, narcissist that he was, or even Itachi, who was taking an uncommon interest in the girl. As was Tobi, the goofy clown, and even Hidan.

Kakuzu smiled sourly. Reminded of that religious freak reminded _him_ he needed to get the damn girl off their floor and out of their room. Who knew what sadistic religious ceremonies that pervert would come up with if given half a chance, and an unconscious virgin all but laid at his feet. Purity had its own savor, as well he knew.

Disgusted, Kakuzu knelt and gathered the girl up in his arms. He ignored the slight tingle where his scarred skin touched hers, ignored the warmth of her soft breaths against his shoulder as he cradled her into a more comfortable position. Kicking the door open, he hauled her ass to Deidara's room, where he could dump her limp carcass out of the way.

ooOOOoo

"Hey, princess, get your ass up."

_*Wha...?* _Ino blinked, trying to focus. Exhaustion clung to her every day now like a thick, smothering fog. When she wasn't playing stamina with stringy-butt, then Deidara was showing her just how little she knew about taijutsu. The creative terrorist was just as sadistic as Kakuzu in his unrelenting efforts, but there was a certain edgy desperation to it that Ino couldn't even begin to understand.

And then there was also the strange way the blond terrorist held her close each night, as if trying to somehow apologize for the literal beatings he put her through on a daily basis. He never said anything, his gaze hard and angry, his short comments unnecessarily cutting and sharp. But he would curl himself around her each night, his hands almost gentle as they soothed absent circles into her bruised skin. Almost as solicitous and sympathetic as Tobi was - or as ever the creepy goofball could be. The guileless man did try, though.

Funny, but there was still more to Tobi than she could really pin down. Ino sometimes caught him looking at her in an odd way, so silent and still. The malice that fairly seethed off of his strangely delighted brooding made her skin crawl. But then Tobi would laugh, or shriek like a girl over some outrageous comment, and Ino's misgivings would give way to disgust for the literal buffoonery of the man.

But her days were so full, her nights so exhausted, that they were blurring one into another until she didn't _know_ day from night. She couldn't, with the way Kakuzu would come fetch her at odd hours to do all kinds of odd things, mostly learning to concentrate for longer periods without exhausting herself. And she was, surprisingly, growing stronger. She could_ feel _it - on those rare occasions when she wasn't so mind-numbed that she could remember there was a reason for all this madness.

But then there were times, like now, when all she wanted to do was sleep, but then some jerk-off like that fricking priest would come and grin at her in evil delight. Knowing all she wanted to do was fricking _sleep, _damn it, and yet taking sadistic pleasure in pulling her unwilling ass out of bed for some ridiculous reason such as:

"Dishes, bitch."

Ino popped one eye open and glared.

He only smiled, the toad. "They're piling up. Now get your cute little tushie in the kitchen and wash 'em like a real woman."

Ino deliberately closed her eye.

_"Now, _bitch." The air turned menacing as Hidan deliberately ran a thumb over his triple-bladed scythe. "Or Jashin-sama gets a rare treat."

Snarling, Ino lurched off of the bed and went to do as ordered.

Gods, she hated the Akatsuki! Scraping the disgusting gunk off their disgusting plates and cups and pots and pans and - what the hell was that, oh god, was that a _booger? - _Ino mentally reiterated just how much she loathed the lot of them. She could heartily stab each one with a poisoned spork and be happy to dance on the graves after. Perhaps her emotions were so raw because she was just so damn tired, but the resentment spilled over on her own village for putting her in such an untenable situation. Damn Tsunade! What the hell had she ever done to deserve_ this? _Perfect, precious Sakura wouldn't have had to put up with this, that was for certain-sure! Tsunade would never risk her precious Forehead, but Ino, now, _that_ was a different story. _She _was expendable. It just wasn't_ fair - _

Ino paused, horrified by the direction of her thoughts. But it was all really getting to be too much, every damn day and every damn dish. Not to mention socks and pants and shirts and all the other stinky laundry she had to put up with. And the constant training and the constant fear and the constant damn loathing she had for every single one of them, the sadistic bastards. All she wanted was some damn _sleep_, and -

"You're late, princess."

Right on cue, there was Kakuzu with his damn familiar line, when how the hell was she supposed to know when the twisted fuck wanted to train with her? And she couldn't, gods, she _couldn't_. Not again. Not now. She was just so fucking tired, and Hidan's fucking ass had to interrupt what little sleep she might get just so she could now leave the dishes to go suffer more burning torment at the sadistic hands of his fucking partner. Gods, she hated them.

"_Now_, princess!"

Snarling, Ino went for the throat, kitchen knife in hand. Of course, Kakuzu easily knocked it aside, wrapping his own hand around her throat and squeezing until she literally passed out. She did manage to kick him in the schnoz, though, with a most satisfying crunch of breaking bone. She'd probably pay dearly for that, and was expecting the worst when she finally came to in her own room. The brooding look Deidara was giving her certainly boded ill for her impetuous actions.

But, surprisingly, he wasn't put out by her lashing out at Kakuzu, but by how much she sucked at it.

"You're making me look bad, un."

He looked so disgusted Ino wanted to laugh. And did, with an edge of near hysteria to it.

"What's your problem, yeah?" he demanded, and Ino suddenly burst into tears. And then fought him off like a wild-cat when the artist tried to shake her out of it. She couldn't seem to stop, and she couldn't seem to gain control of herself. She screamed at him, screamed until she was hoarse, and didn't even know what she said. All she knew was that she had finally been driven over the edge, and it was suddenly all _too damn much! _She wanted to go _home_. She wanted her father, and her mother, and her friends. But they wouldn't be there, not her _bestest_ friends. For they were dead, all of them. Shikamaru and Chouji and Asuma-sensei, and it was all so senseless, all of it, especially since she was supposed to be pretending a loyalty to these fucktards and she couldn't, she just _couldn't! _

And she wasn't sure what happened, really, after that, except Tobi was suddenly there, and Deidara wasn't, and then Itachi must have come - for the Sharingan was spinning and dancing all around her, mocking her. But it wasn't the same, not quite, for there were differences in the tomoe of each bleeding eye, and the ebony hair was short and spiky, and she wondered hysterically if Sasuke had come. But no, he was gone to Orochimaru - unless the rumors were really true, and he had finally killed the snaky bastard.

But the world faded as she melted under it, coming back to an eerie sense of deja vu as she woke up in bed, with Deidara staring broodingly down at her from the seat he'd taken at its foot.

"You're making me look bad, un."

"Is this a nightmare?" Ino murmured, wondering if she was caught in some merry-go-round of genjutsu.

"You're cracking, hmm. Under the pressure." Deidara looked disappointed. "I thought you were stronger than that, yeah."

"I am not cracking under the pressure." That sounded pathetic, even to her. Scowling, she insisted, "I'm not that lame."

He suddenly grinned, more the old Deidara than she had seen in - how long? Weeks, maybe. She didn't know, the days always blurring so much together. That bothered her, but she ignored it.

"You should've been able to stave off Kakuzu. You've had enough training, un. Maybe what you need is more incentive."

"Like _not_ _dying_ isn't enough?" she demanded, still petulant. He was right, damn it. She loathed that.

"Doesn't seem like it, does it? You failed, un."

She glared, and he glared back.

"You can't be weak, Ino. Not here, not with them, hmm." He jerked a thumb at the closed door. She turned surly, and Deidara's brows came down as his expression hardened. "This is not a game, yeah."

"I know that," she snapped.

"No, you don't. Not really, un. You think they won't hurt you, not now, after we've invested so much time and training into you. But Akatsuki never asks for anything less than complete obedience." He suddenly flexed his arms, the ugly grey-brown skin a stark reminder of how he had sacrificed both his arms for Akatsuki. Although reattached by the crude arts of Kakuzu, the scars were a poignant reminder of just how much Akatsuki demanded of its members, willing or otherwise.

"I didn't ask for any of this, un," Deidara said, deadly serious. "But I lost to that Uchiha bastard, and I'm stuck as much as any of us, hmm. And I've managed to survive, even thrive. You want to do the same, princess, than you need to be willing to give all you got. Everything, un. _Even who you are."_

She stared at Deidara, appalled by the brutal honesty in his sharp gaze. But there was no way Akatsuki could _change_ her, not really. She was who she was. And yeah, maybe things seemed crazy right now - and maybe she was a little bit crazy herself right now - but that was just because she was always so damn tired all the time. They just kept pushing her, always pushing, and she could only grit her teeth and take it, and wonder deep down why Konoha demanded so much of her. But she loved her village. She was a shinobi, and would willingly give up her life if it was asked of her.

_*Maybe,* _a treacherous part of her demurred, a deep, down, oh-so-selfish part of her that Ino fervently tried to ignore. But that selfish part of her asked why Konoha demanded so much, and gave so little. For where was Itachi's promised support? She couldn't even trust him, and he wasn't even here anymore. Tobi had said he and Kisame had returned for a few days while she was sick, but then left again before she totally recovered. Ha! Some ally he was! Not that she wanted him for an ally, the manipulative jerk!

Maybe it was the chilling reminder of Itachi's nasty accusations that had her flinching back when Deidara suddenly leaned forward to plant both hands on either side of her hips. He invaded her personal space, towering over her in an uncomfortable way. Ino reflexively reared back, and the smoky blue eyes narrowed. Deidara's gaze turned strangely thoughtful as Ino surreptitiously tried to inch out from underneath him, a blush stealing up her pale cheeks.

"Huh."

Ino didn't like the look in his eyes as Deidara deliberately sat back, folding his scarred arms across his chest. The artist's mouth twisted up on one side with wry disgruntlement, as if he'd found the answer to some question she didn't even know. It clearly wasn't an answer he found that appealing, but Deidara shrugged, and pinned her with a look that made her squirm. Eying the enigmatic artist, Ino wondered what the hell he had in store for her.

ooOOOoo

She found out soon enough, and her loathing for the sick bastards grew ten-fold.

"Incentive," he called it.

"Sick," was her indignant interpretation.

The rules were simple. If she were caught - by anyone - then she was fair game and they could maul her in any way they wanted. Literally - for when she didn't believe Deidara the first time, as he took her out for another round of shoot-and-scoot taijutsu, he used the opportunity to demonstrate just what exactly the price of failure now meant.

It was his abrupt change in tactics that'd caused her to be in this humiliating position. Deidara was a distance fighter, and Ino had been counting on that to keep his stupid kunai at bay as she focused on the more direct threat of his damn bug bombs. She'd gotten rather good at intercepting the little winged monsters with tagged kunai, and was even smug at having gotten two with one masterful strike. Knowing a third was hiding in the upper branches of her current tree, Ino warily scanned the shadowy branches as she panted, another kunai ready for the next attack. She heard a distinct rustle, and tensed, eyes narrowed above her.

Only to be swept off her branch as Deidara flung himself at her, locking his strong arms about her knees and toppling them both over the edge as a startled shriek was ripped from her throat. Ino struggled, slashing at the Stone-nin with her kunai and jerking her hips up and back to loosen his hold so she could kick. His arms tightened, and suddenly they were twisting awkwardly in mid-air as he used their combined momentum to turn them into a screwdriver.

Ino's head snapped back on her neck at the incredible speed of the maneuver, and bile rose in the back of her throat as the world swung sickeningly. She desperately threw an arm over the artist's neck, trying for a choke-hold, but Deidara was suddenly leaping free with a flurry of punches. She blocked most of them, but took a bad sucker-punch right in the gut. The air exploded out of her lungs, and his next scissor chop nearly did her in. She fended it off with a hard elbow, and kicked for his head with one sandaled foot. He reared back, and she snarled, determined to make him pay. But they were literally running out of room, as the ground rushed up at a frightening pace, and she desperately reversed her kunai, curling herself around the artist and sinking it deep into his side, deliberately missing his vitals but going for a disabling gut-wound.

There was a pop of released chakra, and Ino was suddenly hugging a fricking log. Damn substitution jutsu! Logs weren't Deidara's usual style, as he preferred clay clones, but this one was all too heavy and solid. Her blade was sunk fast into the wood, and Ino cursed furiously as she tried to yank it free. She couldn't afford to lose it, as it was her last one, but she'd literally run out of time.

They hit the ground with a sickening thud. Thankfully, the sturdy log took the brunt of their landing as she sprawled over it with a groan. Ino let go of her kunai to plant both hands in the dirt and push herself up, but the ground suddenly dissolved into a soupy mix as her hands suck inside the earth. Ino reared back, the log rolling roughly under her bare midsection. She braced her bent knees against the knobby weight to try and jerk her hands free of the swirling muck that was hardening over her wrists even as she watched. She cursed, and then froze as she felt her knees sinking into the softening earth, and redoubled her struggles as she snarled.

"Won't work, un."

There was smug certainty in the low voice. Ino could just imagine the loathsome smirk on his triumphant face as she tried to free her imprisoned hands and knees as the mud hardened around them. She spat a curse as she realized the futility of it, and Deidara laughed, the jerk.

She glared awkwardly over her shoulder as he casually sauntered over to perch beside her on that stupid log. Deidara looked down at her with a cheeky grin. "Seems you're truly trapped, hmm."

Angrily blowing her hair out of her face, Ino finally let her shoulders sag in defeat. "Fine. I concede, dang it. You win. Now free me."

"Doesn't quite work like that, princess," he drawled, the blue smoke in his eyes darkening. "Not this time, yeah."

"Wha...?" Ino tensed as Deidara reached out with a single finger and drew it down her arched spine. Her eyes widened as she realized just how vulnerable she was, trapped on her hands and knees bent over a log with her ass in the air. She loathed how shaky her voice was as she hoarsely demanded, "What are y-you doing?"

"Huh. Anything I want to, un," Deidara replied with an arch look. "Forget the new rules already, princess?"

Ino paled.

"Now, just what am I to do with you, hmm?" he asked, propping his chin on his hand as his gaze raked over her body.

"Deidara…" she swallowed, hating the plea in her strained whisper, but hating the vulnerability and gut-wrenching humiliation more.

"No, un," he said sharply, "Too late for that now, yeah. You have to learn there are serious consequences to failure, little Ino-chan."

_Smack!_

Ino squealed, more in surprise than from any real pain, though Deidara's hard palm had left a burning spot on her ass. "You crazy bastard!" she shouted. "You can't be serious - -eyah!" Her startled shriek as his hand came down again on her cheek only made him grin, the sadistic creep.

"Good lungs, yeah," he mused, the callous bastard, and thwacked her again.

Ino yowled. Then cursed and shrieked and snarled as Deidara kept at it, giving her a good half-dozen smacks, each one slightly harder than the last as she protested vehemently the fire now blossoming across her tender skin. She blindly struggled, the tears in her eyes at the complete helplessness and humiliation of her situation making her want to howl. She didn't know what smarted more, her pride or her bottom, and called him every name she could think of as his gaze darkened and his smile disappeared into grim anger.

"You're a brat, un," he growled. "I'm only doing what your father should have done a long time ago, yeah."

"What the hell do you know, you sick freak!" She hissed sharply as his hand fell - hard - on her sore bottom for that comment, and stubbornly spat, "You don't know anything about my father!"

"I know that if _this," _he smacked her again, the jerk, "is the only way to get it through your thick skull that I'm dead serious about keeping you alive, Ino, than that is what I'm going to do, hmm!"

"Spanking me like a child ain't gonna teach me shit, you jack - OW! _Stop it!"_

"You _are_ a child. A spoiled," - _smack_ - "ignorant," - _smack_ - "stubborn," - _smack_ - "child!"

"You bastard!" she snarled back, refusing to let the tears that glittered in her angry eyes fall. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, the creep. "You're only going to teach me to hate you more, you filthy Akatsuki bastard!"

Deidara's hand suddenly stilled on her ass, and Ino froze. Real fear had her trembling beneath the warm weight of his palm, and she cursed her own stupidity for letting her fury get the better of her. How the hell was she supposed to pretend (gross!) undying love and loyalty to the damn Akatsuki when she had just shoved her very foot right into the middle of her seething hatred and resentment?

What would Deidara do, now that the truth was out? Dread sat like a cold lump inside her belly, and coward that she was, she couldn't look at him, but closed her eyes, waiting for the death blow that never came.

Instead he was quiet, his voice low and more serious than she had ever heard it before. "Resent me if you must, un, but this is for your own benefit."

"My own benefit," she choked on that swill he tried to feed her, and Deidara sighed.

"I don't want you to die, yeah," he admitted softly, his touch oddly gentle as he spread his fingers out, rubbing a light pattern across her burning bum. Ino closed her eyes at the strangely tender gesture, her breath hissing between her clenched teeth as an odd feeling of warmth spread up from the offended area. She hated Deidara almost more for that betrayal than the way his hand continued to soothe distracted circles into her skin.

"If this, un," he lightly cupped her burning cheek as she flinched at the smarting touch, "is the only way, then…"

"The only way." Her angry disbelief caught him off-guard. She couldn't believe the utter balls on him, to think this humiliation was supposed to help her in any way possible. "You're a _jerk, _Deidara!"

"And you're a stubborn bitch, hmm," he growled, and abruptly _bit _her. Ino yelped, her eyes going wide in shock as the mouth on his flat palm made odd ripples in the fabric of her skirt, licking the spot.

"What are you doing?" she demanded hoarsely, true fear sending shivers throughout her body as Deidara suddenly grabbed the end of her short, purple skirt and shoved it up out of the way.

"Whatever the hell I have to," he said grimly, and yanked her fishnet shorts down.

ooOOOoo

Gods, she had a luscious ass. Like a ripe peach, the perfect curve of each cheek just begged for a man's hand to delve between them and test the firm weight of each globe against the cup of his drooling palm. The sight of such a sweet-faced angel fallen straight from heaven and bowed on her knees, trapped by the very earth that was his natural element, was so erotic and delicious Deidara had to close his eyes just to capture the image forever with his mind's eye. He often did just that, catching a perfect picture for him to later savor just before using his beautiful art to keep it forever his and his alone.

And what a sweet explosion this would be, one she wouldn't even expect - for he knew Ino was innocent, savored the thought, actually, and that he would be the one to claim that innocence for himself. Well, not entirely - he wasn't that crass. But he would drive the lesson sharply home to Ino in a way that the spanking clearly hadn't, that the Akatsuki weren't to be trifled with.

Deidara skimmed his fingers up the back of her creamy thigh, the muscles tensing underneath his light touch as her skin goose-bumped in its wake. Ino trembled, her breath hitching, and Deidara smiled lazily as his other hand idly combed through her long, blonde ponytail. The kunoichi stubbornly turned her head away, calling him a low bastard, and he sighed in regret for what he had to do.

Not that he wouldn't enjoy it. Too damn much, actually, for he was already hard at just the thought of sinking his fingers into her wet heat and drinking the bitter nectar from her weeping lips. The tongue in his palm reached out to idly lick her bare skin and Ino made a noise, flinching away. Deidara cupped her bottom, letting his palm press open-mouthed kisses on her reddened skin. She shivered, and he grinned knowingly.

And then cursed, fluently, when a sudden, girly shriek had him instinctively diving over the kunoichi to protect her from whatever or whoever had made that gods-awful sound. It put them in an even more compromising position as he literally sprawled doggy-style over the half-naked girl, her damn shorts down around her knees and his Akatsuki cloak spread open on either side of them as Tobi shrieked again at the sight.

"SENPAI!"

Closing his eyes, Deidara muttered a dark curse as Tobi's ongoing screech made his ears ring. The idiot was now running around in mad circles, waving his hands in horror as he shrieked, "Oh gods! Oh, dear gods! What are you _doing, _senpai? Oh, my eyes! Oh, I can't believe it! And with pretty_ Hime-sama! _Oh, my god! Hime-sama, what has he turned you into? Oh god, oh god, oh dear god! What am I going to do? What are _we_ going to do? Oh, heck, let's keep it real - what are _you_ _two _going to do?"

"Shut up, yeah," Deidara finally growled as Ino made a despairing noise, burying her head between her trapped arms as Tobi dropped to his knees before her, his hands clasped together beseechingly.

"Oh, Hime-sama! My poor, poor Hime-sama! Please say you haven't - that you haven't - done _that!" _The crazy man grabbed fistfuls of his short, black hair. "Oh, Hime-sama, please say you're still pure! _Please, _Hime-sama!"

Ino made a funny noise, a sort of half-laugh, half-sob, and Deidara softly cursed even as he casually reached out and grabbed the stupid man by the throat.

"Senpai - urk!" Tobi's wail was cut off as Deidara's hand tightened. He shook the beanpole, eyes dangerous.

"Get lost, un. Now."

Tobi made a gurgling noise, nodding weakly as Deidara shoved him back on his ass with a forceful push.

"S-Sorry, Deidara-senpai! Tobi so very sorry! Tobi go, go right now. Leave you to finish, yes?"

"Tobi!" he roared even as Tobi picked up the long ends of his cloak and fled with a squeak of fright.

ooOOOoo

Ino wanted to die. Literally. Well, not literally. But she suddenly wished that that stupid mud Deidara had manipulated to imprison her hands and knees would open back up to swallow her whole. Especially when Deidara casually got up off of her and matter-of-factly pulled her shorts up and her skirt back down. He released the hardened mud with a harsh mutter, and the dirt flaked away as Ino slid back on her knees and flexed her hands in mute disbelief, the tears drying on her wet cheeks.

"Sorry," was all he said, back to her.

Sorry. As if that was enough for the utter humiliation he had just put her through. The awful fright and the sadistic torture as he _used_ her. If Tobi hadn't interrupted him, then he would have...he would have...

With a scream of fury, Ino went for the throat. Throwing herself at the artist, she knocked his defensive arm away as her curled right fist landed heavily across his jaw. Daidara fell back on his ass, his eyes wide with shock as she stood over him, breasts heaving as she panted.

"What the hell, un?" Deidara demanded, furtively testing his jaw for damage.

"Don't you ever,"Ino snarled, _"ever _touch me again, you sick freak! You even _think_ about it, and I'll cut your dick off and stuff it down your fucking throat, you got that, _yeah?"_

Deidara blinked at the raw fury in her snapping blue eyes, clearly not taking the threat seriously. Especially when he tilted his head back so that his long, golden hair spilled down his back and shoulders as he abruptly burst out laughing. He even had the gall to wipe tears from his eyes, saying between chuckles, "Gods, you're sexy when you're mad, hmm!"

He suddenly stopped laughing when Ino drew her foot back and kicked him - hard - right in the balls.

In fact, it was _her_ turn to laugh at the funny way he doubled over, hands cupping the lucky charms as his breath hissed out between clenched teeth in obvious pain. Wow. That move really did work as good as Sakura had always said. Not that Ino had ever had the chance to test it; her sensei had once said it was the worst thing a woman could ever do to a man, and she had never been so angry as to try. But she was more than justified by the way that ass hole had just treated her.

She wasn't stupid enough to stick around waiting for him to recover, though. Whirling, Ino took off after Tobi, smirking evilly, _*Ha! Serves you right, you sadistic jerk! You're stupid to underestimate _me,_ Deidara-kun!*_

She was actually glad to see the entrance to the hidden base, and even welcomed the ugly mug of her evil tormentor, Kakuzu, as he folded his arms across his broad chest and glared at her with the familiar line, "You're late."

"Well, you're just in time," she said cheekily, even blowing the big lug a kiss as she sauntered past.

The Falls-nin turned to stare after her, a brow raised in surprise. And then, a slow smile formed as he looked back toward the woods, where an ominous cloud was gathering.


End file.
